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Year 10
AQA
Foundation

Surface area and rate: practical

I can carry out a fair test to investigate how the rate of reaction depends on the surface area of a solid reactant.

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New
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Year 10
AQA
Foundation

Surface area and rate: practical

I can carry out a fair test to investigate how the rate of reaction depends on the surface area of a solid reactant.

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Share activities with pupils
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Lesson details

Key learning points

  1. The changing rate of a reaction can be found by measuring the mass of gas produced as the reaction progresses.
  2. Smaller marble chips have a larger surface area than larger chips of the same mass.
  3. The larger the surface area, the faster the rate of reaction.

Keywords

  • Rate of reaction - Rate of reaction is the speed with which a chemical reaction takes place.

  • Surface area to volume ratio - The surface area to volume ratio is the surface area of a solid relative to its volume.

  • Independent variable - The independent variable is the single variable that is changed in an investigation.

  • Dependent variable - The dependent variable is the single variable that is measured or observed in an investigation.

  • Control variables - The control variables are variables that are kept constant in an investigation.

Common misconception

That a larger surface area produces a larger volume/mass of product.

The experiment should help pupils realise they produce the same mass of carbon dioxide when using the same mass of calcium carbonate chips and powder.


To help you plan your year 10 chemistry lesson on: Surface area and rate: practical, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...

If you have the resources available you could use a large marble chip, small marble chip and calcium carbonate powder.
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Teacher tip
equipment-required

Equipment

Mass balance, conical flask, stopwatch, hydrochloric acid, calcium carbonate chips, calcium carbonate powder, cotton wool and eye protection.

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Content guidance

  • Risk assessment required - equipment
supervision-level

Supervision

Adult supervision required

copyright

Licence

This content is © Oak National Academy Limited (2025), licensed on Open Government Licence version 3.0 except where otherwise stated. See Oak's terms & conditions (Collection 2).

Lesson video

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Starter quiz

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6 Questions

Q1.
Which piece of equipment is best suited for measuring the change in mass of a reactant or product during a reaction?
stopwatch
Correct answer: top pan balance
measuring cylinder
light sensor
gas syringe
Q2.
Match the variables with the correct definition.
Correct Answer:independent variable,the single variable that is changed in an investigation.
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the single variable that is changed in an investigation.

Correct Answer:dependent variable,the single variable that is measured or observed in an investigation.
tick

the single variable that is measured or observed in an investigation.

Correct Answer:control variables,are kept constant in an investigation.
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are kept constant in an investigation.

Q3.
According to collision theory, what must happen for a chemical reaction to occur?
Correct answer: particles must collide with sufficient energy
particles must be at a high temperature
particles must collide at a low concentration
particles must be in a liquid state
particles must collide with minimum energy
Q4.
What is the term for the minimum energy required for a reaction to occur?
Correct Answer: activation energy, activation
Q5.
Why does the same mass of powdered solid react faster than the same solid in a single lump?
it has a lower mass
it has a lower activation energy
Correct answer: it has a larger surface area
it has a higher temperature
it is at a higher pressure
Q6.
Which of the following statements are true about surface area: volume ratio?
Correct answer: smaller particles have a higher surface area:volume ratio than larger particles
increasing the size of a particle increases its surface area to volume ratio
decreasing the size of a particle decreases its surface area to volume ratio
Correct answer: a higher surface area:volume ratio results in faster reactions

Exit quiz

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6 Questions

Q1.
What is the effect of increasing the surface area on the rate of reaction?
it decreases the rate of reaction
it has no effect on the rate of reaction
Correct answer: it increases the rate of reaction
it slows down the reaction initially
Q2.
How does the surface area of smaller marble chips compare to larger chips of the same mass?
smaller marble chips have a smaller surface area
Correct answer: smaller marble chips have a larger surface area
both have the same surface area
surface area is not affected by size
Q3.
How does a larger surface area of reactants affect the frequency of particle collisions?
it decreases the frequency of collisions
it has no effect on collisions
Correct answer: it increases the frequency of collisions
it makes collisions less effective
it makes the particles collide with less energy
Q4.
Why is measuring the change in mass useful for determining the rate of reaction?
it measures the increase in temperature
Correct answer: we can use the results to calculate the mass of gas produced from the reaction
it allows us to measure the production of a solid
we can determine the time taken for a colour change to occur
Q5.
Why does increasing the surface area of a reactant make a reaction faster?
it lowers the temperature so the particles have less energy
it increases the concentration so the particles are more likely to collide
Correct answer: it exposes more particles so there are more collisions per second
it increases the mass of the solid reactant
it changes the state of the solid reactant
Q6.
In a rate of reaction experiment where you change the surface area of solid reactants, what could be the dependent variable?
the surface area of the solid reactants
the concentration of the reacting solution
the mass of solid reactant used
Correct answer: the volume of gas produced

Additional material

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