L3 & L4 - Rates of Reaction Flashcards
Define ‘reaction rate’.
The change in concentration of a species per unit time.
What is the equation for rate for the reaction A → B?
Rate = Δ[B] / Δt Rate = - Δ[A] / Δt
[A] - concentration of substance A
[B] - concentration of substance B
Δt - change in time
How do you find initial rate?
Gradient of a line beginning at t=0s.
How do you find instantaneous rate?
Gradient of a line / tangent that falls at the specific point / instant.
How do you find average rate?
Gradient of a tangent to the curve or gradient of a straight line.
What are the 3 principles of the collision theory?
1) Reactions occur when particles collide, but not all collisions lead to a reaction.
2) Particles must possess at least a minimum amount of energy.
3) Particles must approach each other in a certain relative orientation.
What do the factors that alter rates of reaction affect?
- The overall number of collisions occurring
- The number of particles with enough energy to react
Define ‘activation energy’.
The minimum energy required to initiate a chemical reaction.
What is the transition state?
The highest energy point in the reaction.
What factors affect the rate of reaction?
- Temperature
- Catalyst
- Surface Area (Solid Reagents / Heterogeneous Catalysts)
- Pressure (Gases)
- Concentration (Liquids)
Explain how temperature affects the rate of reaction.
- Increasing temperature increases the rate of reaction
- Particle speeds increase, so collisions are more frequent
- Particles have more energy, so they can overcome the energy barrier
Explain how catalysts affect the rate of reaction.
- Adding a catalyst increases the rate of reaction
- Works by providing an alternative reaction pathway, with a lower activation energy
- More particles now have the energy to react
Explain how surface area affects the rate of reaction.
- Increasing surface area increases the rate of reaction
- Increases chances of a collision, as more particles are exposed
- Powdered solids react quicker than large lumps
Explain how pressure affects the rate of reaction.
- Increasing pressure increases the rate of reaction
- Forces gas particles close together; increasing the collision frequency, so rate of reaction increases
Explain how concentration affects the rate of reaction.
- Increasing concentration increases the rate of reaction
- Larger number of particles = more collisions
What does the rate of any reaction depend on?
The concentration of reactants.
For any chemical reaction:
wA + xB → yC + zD
What is the general form of the rate law?
Rate = k[A]^m [B]^n
k - rate constant
m, n - reaction order with reference to that reagent
(m + n) - overall order of reaction
How can the order of reaction be found?
ONLY by experiment
What does it mean if a reaction is zero-order?
The rate is independent of the concentration of the reactant.
What is the equation for a zero-order reaction?
A0 - At = kt
For zero-order reactions, the rate does not change. What does this mean that the reaction depends on?
A catalytic bottleneck