Production of carbon dioxide from a metal carbonateMetal carbonate Metal oxide + carbon dioxideThermal decomposition occurs when a substance breaks down into simpler substances when heated, often using a catalyst. It is different from a reaction because there is only one substance to begin with. I came across this information in the EDEXCEL Modular Sciencerevision 1 guide. Thermal decomposition is the decomposition of a substance using thermal energy, it is not a reaction. Preliminary Experiment Lime water and copper carbonate were used to see if a metal carbonate sinks to produce carbon dioxide. Here's what the experiment looked like: The equation for this: CaCo3(s) CuO(s) + Co2 (g)This experiment was to see if carbon dioxide was produced from a metal carbonate. In this case, copper carbonate was used. Two test tubes were connected together by a rubber tube that had a glass tube coming out of the cap that prevented carbon dioxide or any other gas from escaping. As you can see in the diagram, in one tube there was lime water which was to test for the presence of carbon dioxide, and in the other there was copper carbonate. If carbon dioxide was present, the lime water would become cloudy (white in color). As I observed what had happened, I could see that there was carbon dioxide present because the lime water had become cloudy. Secondary Experiment This experiment consisted of comparing the decomposition rates of several metal carbonates. Several metal carbonates were placed in a test tube and connected to a syringe which measured the amount of carbon dioxide when the metal carbonates were heated. This experiment aims to see how quickly metal carbonates will break down to produce carbon dioxide. The reason they don't break. break down at the same time, it's because the most reactive don't want to break down. Thus, the more it retains its carbonate, the more reactive the metal is. In this experiment, a few factors may affect the results of the experiment. These factors can cause the experiment results to be incorrect. Factors that can affect the experiment include:1 Water2 Amounts of powder3 Distance between flame and metal carbonateWater can affect results because it can penetrate the powder, which can speed up a reaction. If different amounts of substance are used, then the results may be affected because the more powder, the more carbon dioxide will be produced. Plan In this experiment, I plan to use 1/500 of a mole. Indeed, if something larger is used, then the quantity is too large and the results