Science Fair Projects World

Effect of Catalysts on the Decomposition of Hydrogen Peroxide

Objective

Investigate how different catalysts influence the rate of hydrogen peroxide decomposition.

Materials

  • Hydrogen peroxide (H2O2)
  • Potato or yeast (natural catalysts)
  • Manganese dioxide (chemical catalyst)
  • Beakers
  • Graduated cylinder
  • Stopwatch
  • Notebook for observations

Instructions

  1. Measure a specific volume of hydrogen peroxide in a beaker.
  2. Add a small piece of potato or a few granules of yeast to the beaker.
  3. Start the stopwatch and observe the rate of oxygen gas evolution.
  4. Repeat the process with manganese dioxide as a catalyst.
  5. Record the time it takes for the reaction to complete in the notebook.
  6. Compare the effectiveness of different catalysts in speeding up the reaction.
  7. Analyze the results to understand how catalysts influence reaction rates.