Student Seminar Series - July 28, 2006
University of Minnesota
School of Statistics
College of Liberal Arts

Methods for Verifying Kinetic Models and Estimating Reaction Rates


Aaron Nienow


Friday, July 28, 2006
10:00 AM, B60 Ford Hall
Minneapolis, East Bank Campus

Refreshments at 9:30 AM
300 Ford Hall


Abstract


Kinetic modeling is an important part of chemistry research. True kinetic models are often difficult to determine due to the various reactions taking place during an experiment. Often, models are selected based on similarities to previous research. This can lead to inaccurate model selection.

The data used in this analysis was generated from an experiment using ferrihydrite and goethite particles. It was suspected that the particles react with hydroquinone following one and two dimensional diffusion models respectively. The method used to check the validity of the hypothesized kinetic models was a general linear model. The results indicate that one and two dimension diffusion models do not adequately represent the reactions taking place. Initial reaction rates were estimated using cumulative sum charts to give the researchers a better understanding of the reaction process. A Box-Cox transformation was performed using the estimated reaction rates, and it was determined that interactions between experimental settings are present. However, due to the small sample size, the specific interactions were not able to be determined.