The rate of a chemical reaction tells us how quickly reactants transform into products during the reaction. Typically, we represent the rate by the change in the molar concentration of reactants or products per unit of time. The rate of a chemical reaction is influenced by the chemical properties of reactants, their concentrations or pressure, the temperature at which the reaction takes place, the presence of a catalyst, and the surface area of a solid reactant. Understanding these factors is crucial in everyday life, such as in food preservation, as well as in industry, where efforts are made to optimize reaction conditions for efficient production. In my master's thesis, three experiments on the topic of the speed of chemical reactions, which are suitable for high school implementation, are presented. The first one addressed the influence of the concentration of a reactant on the rate of a chemical reaction, the second one examined the impact of temperature and a catalyst on the rate of a chemical reaction, and the third one explored the effect of the specific surface area of a solid catalyst on the rate of a chemical reaction. The worksheets with instructions for both teachers and students were also created.
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