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Reaction Kinetics

Rate = Change in concentration of reactants or products per unit time.

Factors affecting the rate of reaction.

  1. Temperature

  2. Pressure (only for the reaction of gases)

  3. Concentration

  4. The surface area of reactants

Effect of temperature

The rate of reaction increases with the increase in temperature because

  • Particles have more Kinetic energy

  • As a result, they move faster

  • They collide more frequently

  • The number of effective collisions increases.

  • Less time is needed to complete the reaction.



  • Due to increase in temperature, more particles (reactants) have energy greater



Effect of pressure

The rate of reaction increases with the increase of pressure because

  • The molecules are closer together.

  • This results in more gas molecules per unit volume.

  • Frequency of collision increases

  • The number of successful collisions increases.

Effect of concentration

The rate of reaction increases with the increase of concentration of reactants as

  • There are more particles per unit volume

  • The particles collide more frequently

  • The number of successful collisions is greater.

Effect of surface area

The rate of reaction increases with the increase of surface area because

  • More reactants are exposed to react

  • The reactants collide more frequently

  • The number of successful collisions increases

Catalyst

A substance that can speed up a chemical reaction by lowering the activation energy by creating an alternative route.

  • A catalyst remains unchanged after the chemical reaction has been completed.

  • Catalyst can NOT change the yield of a reaction.

  • Catalyst cannot change the value of enthalpy change(ΔH).

  • Catalyst cannot change the position of equilibrium.

  • Catalyst can be both organic and inorganic substance

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