Using a Colorimeter to follow the rate of a reaction

With a new bit of kit I have been looking at the rate of reaction of an old favourite, HCl and Sodium Thiosulphate. This system has many advantages over the usual practical, not the least being that the reaction takes place in asealed cuvette so there is no smell and the amounts of substances are very reduced.

The Pasco software (in this case Saparkvue) makes recording this a breeze, creates the tables and graphs so that the data can the analysed easily.

A small amount of the chemicals are used ( approximately 6ml per experiment. The cuvette is filled with the required mixture and the placed in the calorimeter. This calorimeter records all the wavelengths at the same time so I don't have to worry about selecting the correct one, but simply the best one at the end of the experiment.

Before the experiment is started it is necessary to calibrate the colorimeter  but a cuvette of pure water, then it is simply a task of placing the solution to be examined in the cuvette and clicking start

The results can then be exported to word with any analysis. This system seems so much better value for money than other systems I have used.