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Topic: iodine clock reaction  (Read 5091 times)

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taydaniel

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iodine clock reaction
« on: September 18, 2005, 05:57:26 AM »
Hi, anyone knows why is the iodine-persulfate reaction called the iodine clock reaction ?

Offline lemonoman

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Re:iodine clock reaction
« Reply #1 on: September 18, 2005, 11:42:59 AM »
Perhaps because it is one of the few reactions in solution which has a visible change occurring in a time measurable on any standard clock.

Most reactions in solution occur very quickly and almost instantaneously because they are directly related to ion/molecule mobility (relatively high in solution).  But because this reaction concerns a very slow in-solution reaction (the reaction of iodine with hydrogen peroxide)...the time of completion of the second reaction is much longer than 'instantaneous'...and can, for a fact, be measured on any clock.

If there's another reason that I'm missing, feel free to correct me :P

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