Chemistry 1301A/B Lecture Notes - Lecture 26: Collision Theory, Reaction Rate, Activation Energy
Document Summary
Kinetics is the study of the rate of a chemical reaction. The major topics covered in this half-unit are: factors that affect the rate of reaction, rate law, reaction mechanisms. A rate is change per unit time; a chemical reaction rate is generally expressed as a change in the amount of concentration of some reactant or product per unit time (mol/l s). There are several factors which affect the rates of chemical reactions: the nature of the reactants, concentration and surface area, temperature, catalysts, the nature of the reactants. Collision theory states that for a reaction to occur, the reacting particles must: collide with each other, moreover they must collide with sufficient energy (activation energy, ea, the correct orientation/geometry. A heterogeneous reaction is one in which the reactants are in different states and the reaction occurs at the surface or interface where the two states meet.