Bishop Clark 3/14/14 Green - Chemistry A - D Effect of Different Oxygen to Hydrogen Ratios on Energy Released in Combustion The purpose

of this experiment was to find the optimal combination of oxygen and hydrogen, which would release the most energy through combustion, in the form of sound energy, the original hypothesis being that it is a 1:2 ratio. It would test the effect of various ratios on the loudness of the resulting pop. By combining the gasses in various ratios within a plastic capsule, heating them to initiate a combustion reaction, and assigning each a loudness rating, it was determined that 1:2 was in fact the optimal ratio. Hydrogen is a highly flammable gas, and oxygen is an element necessary for a combustion reaction to take place. When the optimal ratio of the two elements is combusted, neither of the elements would be limiting or excessive, meaning that every atom undergoes the reaction, producing the greatest amount of the product and energy. To find this ratio, we measured various ratios by volume, a valid method as two gasses occupying the same volume contain the same number of molecules, or moles. The hypothesis is as follows. The ratio of oxygen to hydrogen that produces the most energy is 1:2. The hypothesis will be accepted if by our volume rating, this ratio yields the loudest reaction of the tested ones, which will include all combinations from 0 to 6 parts oxygen at intervals of 1. For this experiment, the necessary materials are listed below. Plastic capsule with tapered opening (such as cut pipette) 250mL Beaker Oxygen Generator (Such as combination of yeast and hydrogen peroxide) Hydrogen Generator (Such as combination of zinc and hydrochloric acid)

Matches 2 Graduated Cylinders 2 one-hole rubber stoppers to join gas generators to plastic capsule The independent variable of this experiment is the ratio of hydrogen to oxygen. We directly

control the ratio of the gasses by combining them in according volumes within the plastic capsule. The dependant variable is the energy released by the combustion of the hydrogen, which will be perceived as the resulting "pop." A number of controlled variables must be maintained as well, such as the distance from the capsule to the match, the distance from the capsule to the ear of the person rating the pop, the total volume of gas being combusted, the size of the water plug at the bottom of the capsule, and the total absence of air within the capsule. The following steps should be taken in order to complete this experiment. 1. Fill the 250mL beaker with water. 2. Fill the capsule completely with water, ensuring it contains no air. 3. Measure the total volume Ex. V = 4.9mL 4. Expel the water into a graduated cylinder at intervals of , marking the capsule each time. Ex. This divides the capsule into portions with equal volumes. 5. Fill the capsule completely with water, ensuring it contains no air. 6. By attaching it to the generators, fill it with 0 parts oxygen and 6 parts hydrogen, leaving one part as a water plug at the bottom of the capsule for a 0:6 or 0:1 ratio. 7. Strike a match. 8. Hold the capsule with its opening facing down and slowly turn the opening toward the match.

9. Squeeze the capsule, ejecting the water plug. 10. Give the pop a rating. 11. Repeat steps 5-10 two more times. 12. Calculate average for single ratio. Ex. 13. Calculate average deviation for single ration. Ex.
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14. Repeat steps 5-12 for the following ratios. 1:5, 1:2, 1:1, 2:1, 5:1, 6:0
Relative Loudness Parts Oxygen out of 6 Trial 1 Trial 2 Trial 3 Average Average Deviation 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 1 8 9 5 4 3 0 7 10 6 1 2 9 10 8 2 1 1 8 9.7 6.3 2.3 2 0 0 0.7 0.4 1.1 1.1 0.7 0

Effect of Oxygen to Hydrogen Ratio on Relative Loudness

10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 0 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Parts Oxygen (out of 6)

There were several sources of uncertainty in this experiment in addition to the statistical uncertainty derived from the average deviation of the trials. These included, inconsistencies among the distances between the match, the capsule, and the listener's ear, the accuracy of the ratio, and the person giving the rating. The data proves that the hypothesis was true, and that 2:4 or 1:2 is the ratio of oxygen to hydrogen that will produce the most energy, meaning that the excess reaction, if present at all was minimized. This is true because it yielded the loudest pop of all the ratios. The reaction occurring within the capsule each time the match was lit was the combustion of hydrogen and oxygen. In order to supply the activation energy to initiate the reaction, a match was lit, meeting the hydrogen's auto-ignition temperature of 536C. The application of this energy split each O2 into 2O and each H2 into 2H. Then, every available oxygen atom would bond to two hydrogen atoms, forming the compound H2O (water).With a 1:2 ratio, if measured perfectly, every last atom would undergo the reaction, producing the most water, and the most energy. The combustion of hydrogen can be written as 2H2 + O2 2H2O. From this, the optimal ratio can be derived as 1:2.

Relative Loudness