Rates of Reactions
The rate of a reaction can be found by measuring the rate of formation of products or the rate at which reactants are consumed. This can be observed through colour changes, changes in gas volume and pH changes
Particles are colliding all the time, however, not all collisions induce a reaction. Particles must collide with enough energy and the correct orientation to form new products. The minimum energy a collision must possess for a reaction to occur is called the activation energy
In order to increase a reaction rate, the proportion of successful collisions can be increased by either increasing the frequency of collisions occurring, or increasing the proportion of collisions that have enough energy for the reaction to proceed
Effect of Temperature
At any temperature, the particles in a substance will have a range of kinetic energies. While most of the particles have similar kinetic energies, there will always be some particles with a high or low energy. This is shown on a Maxwell Boltzmann distribution
Maxwell Boltzmann Distribution
Catalysts reduce the activation energy required to facilitate a reaction without being consumed during the reaction. With a catalyst present and a lower activation energy, the colliding particles are more likely to have energies that exceed this lower barrier, causing the bonds in the reactants to be broken more frequently.
Effect of Catalysts