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Introductory Chemistry - 1st Canadian Edition: Factors that Affect the Rate of Reactions

Introductory Chemistry - 1st Canadian Edition
Factors that Affect the Rate of Reactions
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table of contents
  1. Cover
  2. Title Page
  3. Copyright
  4. Table Of Contents
  5. Acknowledgments
  6. Dedication
  7. About BCcampus Open Education
  8. Chapter 1. What is Chemistry
    1. Some Basic Definitions
    2. Chemistry as a Science
  9. Chapter 2. Measurements
    1. Expressing Numbers
    2. Significant Figures
    3. Converting Units
    4. Other Units: Temperature and Density
    5. Expressing Units
    6. End-of-Chapter Material
  10. Chapter 3. Atoms, Molecules, and Ions
    1. Acids
    2. Ions and Ionic Compounds
    3. Masses of Atoms and Molecules
    4. Molecules and Chemical Nomenclature
    5. Atomic Theory
    6. End-of-Chapter Material
  11. Chapter 4. Chemical Reactions and Equations
    1. The Chemical Equation
    2. Types of Chemical Reactions: Single- and Double-Displacement Reactions
    3. Ionic Equations: A Closer Look
    4. Composition, Decomposition, and Combustion Reactions
    5. Oxidation-Reduction Reactions
    6. Neutralization Reactions
    7. End-of-Chapter Material
  12. Chapter 5. Stoichiometry and the Mole
    1. Stoichiometry
    2. The Mole
    3. Mole-Mass and Mass-Mass Calculations
    4. Limiting Reagents
    5. The Mole in Chemical Reactions
    6. Yields
    7. End-of-Chapter Material
  13. Chapter 6. Gases
    1. Pressure
    2. Gas Laws
    3. Other Gas Laws
    4. The Ideal Gas Law and Some Applications
    5. Gas Mixtures
    6. Kinetic Molecular Theory of Gases
    7. Molecular Effusion and Diffusion
    8. Real Gases
    9. End-of-Chapter Material
  14. Chapter 7. Energy and Chemistry
    1. Formation Reactions
    2. Energy
    3. Stoichiometry Calculations Using Enthalpy
    4. Enthalpy and Chemical Reactions
    5. Work and Heat
    6. Hess’s Law
    7. End-of-Chapter Material
  15. Chapter 8. Electronic Structure
    1. Light
    2. Quantum Numbers for Electrons
    3. Organization of Electrons in Atoms
    4. Electronic Structure and the Periodic Table
    5. Periodic Trends
    6. End-of-Chapter Material
  16. Chapter 9. Chemical Bonds
    1. Lewis Electron Dot Diagrams
    2. Electron Transfer: Ionic Bonds
    3. Covalent Bonds
    4. Other Aspects of Covalent Bonds
    5. Violations of the Octet Rule
    6. Molecular Shapes and Polarity
    7. Valence Bond Theory and Hybrid Orbitals
    8. Molecular Orbitals
    9. End-of-Chapter Material
  17. Chapter 10. Solids and Liquids
    1. Properties of Liquids
    2. Solids
    3. Phase Transitions: Melting, Boiling, and Subliming
    4. Intermolecular Forces
    5. End-of-Chapter Material
  18. Chapter 11. Solutions
    1. Colligative Properties of Solutions
    2. Concentrations as Conversion Factors
    3. Quantitative Units of Concentration
    4. Colligative Properties of Ionic Solutes
    5. Some Definitions
    6. Dilutions and Concentrations
    7. End-of-Chapter Material
  19. Chapter 12. Acids and Bases
    1. Acid-Base Titrations
    2. Strong and Weak Acids and Bases and Their Salts
    3. Brønsted-Lowry Acids and Bases
    4. Arrhenius Acids and Bases
    5. Autoionization of Water
    6. Buffers
    7. The pH Scale
    8. End-of-Chapter Material
  20. Chapter 13. Chemical Equilibrium
    1. Chemical Equilibrium
    2. The Equilibrium Constant
    3. Shifting Equilibria: Le Chatelier’s Principle
    4. Calculating Equilibrium Constant Values
    5. Some Special Types of Equilibria
    6. End-of-Chapter Material
  21. Chapter 14. Oxidation and Reduction
    1. Oxidation-Reduction Reactions
    2. Balancing Redox Reactions
    3. Applications of Redox Reactions: Voltaic Cells
    4. Electrolysis
    5. End-of-Chapter Material
  22. Chapter 15. Nuclear Chemistry
    1. Units of Radioactivity
    2. Uses of Radioactive Isotopes
    3. Half-Life
    4. Radioactivity
    5. Nuclear Energy
    6. End-of-Chapter Material
  23. Chapter 16. Organic Chemistry
    1. Hydrocarbons
    2. Branched Hydrocarbons
    3. Alkyl Halides and Alcohols
    4. Other Oxygen-Containing Functional Groups
    5. Other Functional Groups
    6. Polymers
    7. End-of-Chapter Material
  24. Chapter 17. Kinetics
    1. Factors that Affect the Rate of Reactions
    2. Reaction Rates
    3. Rate Laws
    4. Concentration–Time Relationships: Integrated Rate Laws
    5. Activation Energy and the Arrhenius Equation
    6. Reaction Mechanisms
    7. Catalysis
    8. End-of-Chapter Material
  25. Chapter 18. Chemical Thermodynamics
    1. Spontaneous Change
    2. Entropy and the Second Law of Thermodynamics
    3. Measuring Entropy and Entropy Changes
    4. Gibbs Free Energy
    5. Spontaneity: Free Energy and Temperature
    6. Free Energy under Nonstandard Conditions
    7. End-of-Chapter Material
  26. Appendix A: Periodic Table of the Elements
  27. Appendix B: Selected Acid Dissociation Constants at 25°C
  28. Appendix C: Solubility Constants for Compounds at 25°C
  29. Appendix D: Standard Thermodynamic Quantities for Chemical Substances at 25°C
  30. Appendix E: Standard Reduction Potentials by Value
  31. Glossary
  32. About the Authors
  33. Versioning History

Factors that Affect the Rate of Reactions

Jessie A. Key

Learning Objectives

  • To gain an understanding of collision theory.
  • To gain an understanding of the four main factors that affect reaction rate.

Reaction kinetics is the study of the rate of chemical reactions, and reaction rates can vary greatly over a large range of time scales. Some reactions can proceed at explosively fast rates like the detonation of fireworks (Figure 17.1 “Fireworks at Night Over River”), while others can occur at a sluggish rate over many years like the rusting of barbed wire exposed to the elements (Figure 17.2 “Rusted Barbed Wire”).

Fireworks explode in the night sky. A reflection of the fireworks is seen on water below.
Figure 17.1 “Fireworks at Night Over River.” The chemical reaction in fireworks happens at an explosive rate.
A close-up of rusted barbed wire.
Figure 17.2 “Rusted Barbed Wire.” The rusting of barbed wire occurs over many years.

Collision Theory

To understand the kinetics of chemical reactions, and the factors that affect kinetics, we should first examine what happens during a reaction on the molecular level. According to the collision theory of reactivity, reactions occur when reactant molecules “effectively collide.” For an “effective collision” to occur, the reactant molecules must be oriented in space correctly to facilitate the breaking and forming of bonds and the rearrangement of atoms that result in the formation of product molecules (see Figure 17.3 “Collision Visualizations”).

Visualization of an ineffective and effective collision based on molecular orientation.
Figure 17.3 “Collision Visualizations.” This visualization shows an ineffective and effective collision based on molecular orientation.

During a molecular collision, molecules must also possess a minimum amount of kinetic energy for an effective collision to occur. This energy varies for each reaction, and is known as the activation energy (Ea) (Figure 17.4 “Potential Energy and Activation Energy”). The rate of reaction therefore depends on the activation energy; a higher activation energy means that fewer molecules will have sufficient energy to undergo an effective collision.

Potential energy diagram for a hypothetical reaction.
Figure 17.4 “Potential Energy and Activation Energy.” This potential energy diagram shows the activation energy of a hypothetical reaction.

Factors That Affect Rate

There are four main factors that can affect the reaction rate of a chemical reaction:

  1. Reactant concentration. Increasing the concentration of one or more reactants will often increase the rate of reaction. This occurs because a higher concentration of a reactant will lead to more collisions of that reactant in a specific time period.
  2. Physical state of the reactants and surface area. If reactant molecules exist in different phases, as in a heterogeneous mixture, the rate of reaction will be limited by the surface area of the phases that are in contact. For example, if a solid metal reactant and gas reactant are mixed, only the molecules present on the surface of the metal are able to collide with the gas molecules. Therefore, increasing the surface area of the metal by pounding it flat or cutting it into many pieces will increase its reaction rate.
  3. Temperature. An increase in temperature typically increases the rate of reaction. An increase in temperature will raise the average kinetic energy of the reactant molecules. Therefore, a greater proportion of molecules will have the minimum energy necessary for an effective collision (Figure. 17.5 “Temperature and Reaction Rate”).
    Figure 17.1-4. Effect of temperature on the kinetic energy distribution of molecules in a sample.
    Figure 17.5 “Temperature and Reaction Rate.” Effect of temperature on the kinetic energy distribution of molecules in a sample
  4. Presence of a catalyst. A catalyst is a substance that accelerates a reaction by participating in it without being consumed. Catalysts provide an alternate reaction pathway to obtain products. They are critical to many biochemical reactions. They will be examined further in the section “Catalysis.”

Key Takeaways

  • Reactions occur when two reactant molecules effectively collide, each having minimum energy and correct orientation.
  • Reactant concentration, the physical state of the reactants, and surface area, temperature, and the presence of a catalyst are the four main factors that affect reaction rate.

Media Attributions

  • “Fireworks at night over river” © Jon Sullivan is licensed under a Public Domain license
  • “Barbed wire (rusting after years of hard work)” © 2007 by Waugsberg is licensed under a CC BY-SA (Attribution-ShareAlike) license

Icon for the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License

Factors that Affect the Rate of Reactions by Jessie A. Key is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License, except where otherwise noted.

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Copyright © 2014

                                by Jessie A. Key

            Introductory Chemistry - 1st Canadian Edition by Jessie A. Key is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License, except where otherwise noted.
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