rate of reactions

rate of reaction

the change in the concentration of reactants or products in unit time

activation energy

the minimum energy required for bond within reactant molecules to break and for the particles to become sufficiently energized for products to be formed

collision theory

states that there must be effective collisions for chemical reactions to take place

effective collisions

collisions that result in the formation of products (reactants must be correctly oriented and have the required activation energy)

factors affecting the rate of chemical reactions

• concentration

• temperature

• catalysts

• surface area

• light (for some reactions)

how concentration affects the rate of reactions

there are more reactants molecules, increasing the chances for effective collisions and leading to a faster reaction rate

how temperature affects the rate of reactions

particles gain kinetic energy as temperature increases, allowing them to move faster. as a result, they collide more frequently & more effectively as they have energy equal to the activation energy

how catalysts affect the rate of reactions

they lower the activation energy

how surface area affects the rate of reactions

the more of a reactant there is, the more likely collisions are