Chemical Kinetics Part I Flashcards
What is kinetic energy?
This is the energy of motion - the energy that is a product of the object’s speed and mass.
Why is the area under the curve the same for 2 different scenarios?
The area under the curve is the same because the amount of particles or molecules is the same in both cases.
When would the area under the curve differ between the 2 situations?
The area under the curve would differ when there is a different amount of particles or molecules.
What is the collision theory?
It can be used to explain the changes that occur at the molecular level that the molecules must collide.
What is the transition state?
This is the highest energy state.
What is enthalpy?
This is the energy of the reaction as it is the difference in energy between the reactants and products it is also the total kinetic and potential energy that is in the chemical system.
What is the activation energy?
This is the energy needed to start the reaction this is the energy difference between the reactants and the transition state.
Which speed corresponds with each activation energy?
A smaller activation energy means that the reaction is fast.
A larger activation energy means that the reaction is slow.
What is the difference between a transition state and an activated complex?
The transition state is the highest energy level of the reaction and the activated complex is a short-lived complex where the configuration is somewhere between the reactants and the products at the transition state.
What impacts the collision frequency?
- ) Temperature
- ) Number of particles
- ) Catalyst
What is the Rate Determining Step (RDS)?
The rate of the mechanism will be no faster than the rate of its slowest rate.
What is the reaction mechanism?
- ) The steps must sum to the overall reaction of interest.
- ) Each step in the reaction is called the elementary step.
- ) The rate of the mechanism will be no faster than the rate of its slowest rate this is the RDS.
- ) Mechanisms are consistent with experimental observations.
- ) The overall reaction is the sum of all the elementary steps.
- ) An intermediate is produced in one elementary step and then consumed in another elementary step.
What is the energy for endothermic reactions?
The reactants are lower than the energy of the products.
What is the energy for exothermic reactions?
The reactants are higher than the energy of the products.
Why is one activation energy greater than the other?
One activation energy is greater than the other because it requires more energy in order to break the bonds while the other is not breaking bonds.
How does the speed of the reaction correspond with the activation energy?
A higher activation energy results in a slower reaction because fewer particles are able to attain the energy required to reach the activation energy. While a smaller activation energy results in a faster reaction because it is easily attainable.
What is a catalyst?
It will only impact the rate of the reaction not the yield. It is not a reactant or a product and it will affect a reaction mechanism. Also it will be consumed by one step AND reformed by a subsequent step so it will be the intermediate.
How does the catalyst change the rate of the reaction?
- ) Lowering the activation energy
2. ) Changing the number of steps of the reactions which will also have less activation energy
What is a homogeneous catalyst?
These catalysts are the same phase as the reaction and distributed throughout the reaction mixture. These are usually liquids or gases and are found in nature.
What is a heterogeneous catalyst?
These catalysts are usually solids that facilitate a reaction by absorbing reactants onto their surface.
What is a rate?
The change in concentration over the change in time.
What is the appearance rate or rate of production?
How fast the product appears over time.
What is the disappearance rate or rate of consumption?
How fast a reactant is being consumed over time.
What is the rate of the reaction?
How fast the reaction itself progresses over time per 1 mol of the reaction which is simply following the stoichiometric coefficients of the reaction exactly.
When is there 1 significant figure?
When there is a value such as 20 with no decimal place after the 0 the only significant digit is the 2 in 20 thus there is only 1 significant digit.
What is the general rate of reaction or the general rate expression?
Rate of the Reaction =
(1 / stoichiometric coefficient) x
(Change in Concentration / Change in Time)
What is a diluted solution?
A given substance that has a relatively small amount of solute per unit volume of the solution.