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04/22/2025
Students must finish a laboratory report as part of their International Baccalaureate chemistry course to receive the IA.
The report should consist of a research query, a methodology component, analysis of data, and a conclusion and be between 6 and 12 pages long for assessments conducted prior to May 2025. As of May 2025, the report's word count should not exceed 3,000.
Compose a proposal for research.
After deciding on a topic, students ought to draft a research proposal detailing their study. A concise literature review, a thorough methodology, a list of the necessary tools and supplies, and a well-defined research question should all be included in the proposal.
A risk assessment that outlines potential risks related to the inquiry and the steps being taken to reduce them should also be included in the proposal.
Carry Out Research
Students can start their research as soon as the proposal is accepted.
They should maintain a thorough lab notebook that contains all of the information they gather, findings they make, and computations they carry out. To record the experiment, they should also record it with pictures or videos.
Examine data and assess outcomes
After the investigation is finished, students ought to evaluate their findings and make inferences.
They should use the right methods to process their data, like graphing or statistical analysis, and then clearly and succinctly present the results. Additionally, they ought to assess their approach and findings, emphasising any restrictions or ambiguities.
Compose a report that summarises your research
Lastly, students should summarise their research in a report. A opening sentence, a method portion, a results portion, a discussion portion, and a conclusion are all necessary components of a report.
Any sources utilised in the research appeal or throughout the investigation should be cited in the report's list of references.
Conducting an experiment is only one aspect of the Chemistry IA; another is demonstrating your capacity for scientific thought, inventiveness, and comprehension of chemical principles. A thoughtful concept will:
Engage Your Interest: Your work reflects your enthusiasm for your concept.
Emphasis on Relevance: Examiners value concepts that tackle current problems or new developments in science.
Showcase Depth: You can investigate chemistry in an insightful and thorough way when you have a novel idea.
IB Chemistry internal evaluation of kinetics and catalysis studies
For an IB Chemistry Internal Assessment on Kinetics and Catalysis, you can use methods like measuring reaction time, colour change, or gas production to examine how variables like concentration, temperature, or catalyst type impact reaction rates.
A summary of possible subjects and things to think about is provided below:
Selecting an Idea
The Kinetics of Reaction
Effects of Temperature: Examine how temperature influences the rate of a particular reaction (e.g., hydrogen peroxide breakdown, acid-base reaction, or enzyme activity).
Examine how the concentration of a reactant affects the rate of a reaction (such as the iodine clock reaction or the reaction among sodium thiosulphate as well as hydrochloric acid).
Catalyst Effects: Examine the catalytic function of various catalysts, such as different enzymes in the hydrolysis of sucrose or manganese dioxide versus catalase in the breakdown of hydrogen peroxide.
Catalysis
Examine how an acid's concentration affects a reaction's rate (such as the hydrolysis of sucrose) using acid catalysis.
Enzyme catalysis: Examine how temperature, pH, or substrate concentration affect the activity of enzymes (such as amylase on starch).
Design of Experiments
One independent variable
the variable you are altering, such as catalyst type, temperature, or concentration.
The dependent variable
the variable you're measuring, such as gas production, colour change, or reaction time.
Managed Variables
Variables that need to remain constant, such as reactant volume, reaction temperature, and reactant surface area.
Select a Reaction
Choose a response that is safe to interact with, has a detectable change, and is reasonably quick.
Information Gathering
Choose a method for measuring the reaction rate, such as a gas syringe, colorimeter, or stopwatch.
Do the Trials Again
To make sure your data is reliable, run several trials.
Evaluation and Conclusion
Display of Data
Display your data using graphs and tables.
Analyzing Data
To ascertain the connection between the dependent and independent variables, analyse your data.
In conclusion
Based on your data, make inferences and connect them to the ideas of catalysis and kinetics.
Analysis
Talk about the experiment's shortcomings and make recommendations for enhancements for subsequent research.
With an emphasis on practical applications like vinegar concentration or antacid efficacy, you can investigate acid-base chemistry for your International Baccalaureate Chemistry internal assessment by studying subjects like titration, capacity for buffering, or the impact of pH on reaction rates.
With an emphasis on acid-base chemistry, consider the following topics for your internal International Baccalaureate Chemistry assessment:
Determination of Titration and Concentration
Assessing the amount of acetic acid present in vinegar
To find out how much acetic acid is in various vinegars and whether the concentration changes depending on the vinegar type or storage circumstances, you may utilise acid-base titration.
Examining the aspirin concentrations in various brands
Using back titration, find out if the aspirin content of various brands corresponds to the label.
Examining the efficiency of various antacids
Using acid-base titration, compare how well various antacid products neutralise stomach acid.
Finding an unknown solution's concentration
To find the amount contained of an acid or base that is not known solution, use a titration.
Buffer pH and Capacity
Examining the buffer capability of various solutions: Examine the effectiveness of various buffer solutions in preventing pH shifts caused by the addition of bases or acids.
Examine how an enzyme's activity varies at various pH values to learn more about how pH affects enzyme activity.
Examining the pH of numerous household things: Determine the pH of cleaners, beverages, and food items, among other household components.
Reaction Kinetics and Rates
Examining how pH affects the rate of an acid-base reaction: Examine how the rate at which a strong acid as well as a strong base react is influenced by pH.
Examine how quickly hydrogen peroxide breaks down by looking into the variables that influence this rate, such as the concentration, temperature, and catalysts.
Examining how a chemical reaction's rate is affected by temperature: Examine how a chemical reaction, such as that between an acid as well as a base, is impacted by temperature.
Consider applying thermodynamics for your IB Chemistry internal assessment by examining enthalpy changes using calorimetry, such as figuring out the enthalpy of neutralisation or the enthalpy of combustion of various alcohols, or by computing enthalpy changes using Hess's Law.
A more thorough summary of possible IB Chemistry IA topics pertaining to thermodynamics can be found here:
Heat Transfer and Calorimetry
Combustion Enthalpy
Subject: Use calorimetry to examine the enthalpy of combustion of various alcohols (such as ethanol and propanol).
Study Question: Does an alcohol's enthalpy of combustion change depending on how many carbon atoms it contains?
Approach: Determine the enthalpy of combustion per mole by measuring the temperature change of water upon burning a known mass of alcohol.
Enthalpy of Neutralisation
The enthalpy of neutralisation for various acids and bases can be found using calorimetry.
Research Problem: Is the enthalpy of neutralisation roughly constant for reactions involving strong acids and bases?
The enthalpy of neutralisation per mole is determined by measuring the temperature change that occurs when an acid and base react with a known amount and concentration.
The Enthalpy of Solutions
Subject: Use calorimetry to determine the enthalpy of solution of various salts (such as KCl and NaCl) in water.
Research Question: Does a salt's enthalpy of solution change depending on its type?
Method: Estimate the enthalpy of solution per mole by measuring the temperature change that occurs when an established quantity of salt dissolves in water.
Hess's Law
Subject
When calculating enthalpy changes for processes that are challenging to measure directly, use Hess's Law.
Research Question
Is it possible to precisely anticipate a reaction's enthalpy change using Hess's Law?
The process involves measuring the changes in enthalpy for a number of reactions and then calculating the change in enthalpy for the targeted reaction using Hess's Law.
Kinetics of Chemistry and Temperature
Topic: Examine the effects of temperature on a chemical reaction's pace.
Research Question: What effect does temperature have on a particular reaction's pace, such as hydrogen peroxide's breakdown?
Method: Utilise the equation created by Arrhenius to calculate the activation energy after measuring the progression of the reaction at various temperatures.
Balance
Topic: Investigate variables that affect the equilibrium position and calculate the equilibrium constant of a reversible process.
Research Question: What impact does temperature have on a reversible reaction's equilibrium position?
Method: Determine the equilibrium constant by measuring the reactant and product equilibrium concentrations at various temperatures.
Select an area of interest for yourself because your passion will add intrigue to the study and analysis.
Construct a precise and verifiable research question: Make sure your inquiry is precise and permits the gathering and analysis of pertinent facts.
Construct a reliable experimental procedure: Make sure the method you use is exact, accurate, and permits flexible control.
Gather information and carefully examine it: Interpret your findings using the proper statistical analysis methods.
Using your data, make inferences: Cite your experiment's results and pertinent prior information to back up your conclusions.
Exhibit personal involvement: Take the initiative and use your imagination to plan and carry out your experiment.
