1. Planning an experiment
Investigating the factors that affect temperature changes in reacting solutions
Planning an experiment

2. Objectives
To plan an experiment to investigate a factor that affects the
temperature rise in an exothermic reaction
Carry out an experiment to investigate the temperature rise in a
displacement reaction

3. Examples to be investigated:
Acid and metals
Acid and carbonates
Neutralisation
Displacement reactions

4. Before you plan an experiment, you need to think of the factors
that might affect the temperature change in each case
If you choose to investigate one variable, the others must be kept
the same in order for the experiment to be a fair test (control
variables)

5. Variables that affect the temperature rise
Reaction
Variables that affect the temperature rise
Metals and acids
Metals and carbonates
Acids and alkalis
Displacement reactions
Type of metal
Type of
acid
Concentration
of acid
Size of pieces of metal

6. Write a hypothesis for one of the experiments
A simple setup like this one could be used
for these experiments
Explain why the results of this experiment
may not be accurate and what might be done
to improve them
Not all the heat energy from the reaction raises the temperature –add lid, stir, place in beaker and surround with cotton wool etc to increase the insulation

7. Class practical-the temperature rise of copper chloride solution
depends on the reactivity of the metal added to the solution