Reaction of Malachite Green, Leybold Products

Leybold Chemistry Experiments.

Reactions in which a participant in the reaction changes color are a suitable choice if one wishes to observe the course of a reaction. Such reactions are easy to track photometrically, because the decrease and increase in the extinction rate can be directly converted mathematically into concentration changes.

In experiment C4.1.3.1, the reaction of malachite green with hydroxide ions is monitored with an immersion photometer in a glass beaker. Blue-green at first, the solution loses color when sodium hydroxide is added. This simple system makes it possible to investigate how the rate of reaction is affected by temperature, concentration and the choice of solvent.