Introduction & Background

The purpose of this lab is to determine how fast is "fast" for a chemical reaction.  By studying the rate of a reaction, information can be gained about how the reaction proceeds.  The rate of reaction depends on the concentration of the reactants and is expressed as the "rate law."  The rate of reaction relates the rate of the disappearance of reactants or the rate of appearance of products to the concentration of the reactants.  By creating a graph of concentration versus time the order of a reaction with respect to a particular reactant can be determined.  In this certain lab the concentration of a reactant in a chemical reaction is monitored using a spectroscopic method and applying Beer's Law.