C6 - the rate and extent of chemical change Flashcards
what is the rate of a chemical reaction?
how fast the reactants are changed into products
what are two examples of chemical reactions with slow rates?
iron rusting and chemical weathering (like acid rain damage to limestone buildings)
what is an example of a moderate speed reaction?
magnesium reacting with an acid to form a gentle stream of bubbles
what are two examples of fast reactions?
burning and explosions (but explosions are faster)
what are two ways you can find the speed of a reaction?
recording the amount of product formed, or recording the amount of reactant used up over time
on a rate of reaction graph, does a steeper line mean a faster or slower reaction?
faster
why does the line become less steep over time on a rate of reaction graph?
as the reactants are used up
what must happen in order for a reaction to occur?
particles must collide with enough energy
what two things does the rate of a chemical reaction depend on?
- the collision frequency
2. the energy transferred during a collision
what are five things the rate of reaction depends on?
- temperature
- the concentration of a solution
- the pressure of a gas
- surface area
- the presence of a catalyst
explain the effect changing temperature has on the rate of a reaction?
in order for a reaction to occur, the particles have to collide. increasing the temperature increases the speed the particles move at, and so they collide more frequently, so an increase in temperature increases the rate of a reaction
explain the effect concentration has on rate of reaction?
in order for a reaction to occur, particles have to collide. the more concentrated a solution is, the more particles there are per unit volume, so there are more frequent collisions. this means that an increase in concentration increases the rate of a reaction
explain the effect pressure has on the rate of a reaction?
in order for a reaction to take place, particles must collide. the higher the pressure, the more particles there are per unit volume, so there are more frequent collisions. this means that an increase in pressure increases the rate of reaction
explain the effect surface area has on the rate of a reaction
in order for a reaction to occur, particles have to collide. increasing the surface area to volume ratio of a solid will increase the amount of the solid exposed to the other reactants, so more frequent collisions will occur. this means that an increase in surface area to volume ratio increases the rate of a reaction
what is a catalyst?
a substance that speeds up the rate of a reaction, without being used up in the reaction itself
are catalysts part of the overall reaction equation?
no
how do catalysts work?
by decreasing the activation energy needed for the reaction to occur. they do this by providing an alternative reaction pathway with a lower activation energy.
give an example of a biological catalyst
enzymes - they catalyse reactions in living things
what is the formula for the mean rate of reaction?
rate of reaction = amount of reactant used or amount of product formed / time
how do you find the rate of a reaction at one particular point in time?
you have to plot a graph and find the gradient at that time
what are the three methods to measure the rate of a reaction?
- precipitation and colour change
- change in mass (usually gas given off)
- the volume of gas given off