The oxidation of tartaric acid by hydrogen peroxide in the presence of a cobalt chloride catalyst provides a reaction that can be used in a variety of kinetics demonstrations. The demonstration clearly shows that a catalyst affects the reaction rate, that the catalyst is unchanged at the end of the process, and that the reaction rate is also affected by changes in temperature. Because of the change in color of the cobalt, the demonstration also clearly shows the formation and decomposition of a reaction intermediate.
Key Words:
catalyst, reaction intermediate, kinetics, temperature effect, cobalt, tartrate, tartaric acid, hydrogen peroxide, pink, green, rochelle salt, reaction rate