Reaction B is much faster than reaction A , so the iodine, I2, formed in reaction A immediately reacts with thiosulfate ions, S2O32−, in reaction B , before it can react with starch to form the familiar blue-black, starch-iodine complex.
In one experiment the reaction mixture contained:
5.0±0.1 cm3 of 2.00 moldm−3 hydrogen peroxide (H2O2)5.0±0.1 cm3 of 1 % aqueous starch
20.0±0.1 cm3 of 1.00 moldm−3 sulfuric acid (H2SO4)20.0±0.1 cm3 of 0.0100 moldm−3 sodium thiosulfate (Na2 S2O3)50.0±0.1 cm3 of water with 0.0200±0.0001 g of potassium iodide (KI) dissolved in it.
After 45 seconds this mixture suddenly changed from colourless to blue-black.