Topic 7 - Rates Of Reactions And Energy Changes Flashcards
What does collision theory explain ?
Collision theory explains how reactions happen and why they happen at different rates
What must collide for a chemical reactions to happen ?
Particles must collide for chemical reactions to happen.
Importantly, these collisions must happen with enough energy.
This minimum amount of energy is known as the activation energy
What is activation energy ?
The activation energy is the minimum energy with which particles must collide in order to cause a chemical reaction
How can you increase a rate of reaction ?
We can increase the rate of a reaction by increasing the number of collisions and/or the energy of reactant particles.
What are the 4 main factors that increase the rate of reaction ?
Temperature
Concentration
Pressure (for gases)
Surface area
What does collision theory state ?
The collision theory says that, in order for chemical reactions to happen particles must collide with sufficient energy
How do you plot reaction rates ?
Draw a tangent to the curve (straight line that touches the curve at just 1 point).
Work out the gradient of the tangent:
Rate of reaction = change in y / change in x
What is the equation for rate of reaction ?
Rate of reaction = change in y / change in x
How can you interpret graphs ?
Graphs showing mass, volume or concentration against time show us how different variables affect rate.
The steeper the gradient of the line, the faster the reaction.
If the reaction plateaus (levels out and stays constant) on the graph, the reaction is complete.
In this graph, we can see the reaction starts off with a steep gradient (fastest part of the reaction) and it slows down until it stops.
As the concentration of products increases, what happens to the concentration of reactants?
Decreases
If you increase the concentration of dissolved reactants what can this do to the rate of reaction
Increasing the concentration increases the collision frequency. This increases the rate of reaction
How can increasing the Pressure of gas reactants increase the rate of reaction ?
Increasing pressure is like increasing the concentration.
It has the same outcome of increasing the collision frequency, which increases the rate of reaction
If you increase the temperature what can this do to the rate of reaction ?
Increasing the temperature increases the rate at which collisions happen.
Increasing the temperature increases the energy of reactant particles. This means that a greater proportion of the particles will have more energy than the activation energy that is needed.
Together, these lead to more successful collisions. This increases the rate of reaction.
How can increasing the Surface area of solid reactants increase the rate of reaction ?
Increasing the surface area increases the collision frequency. This increases the rate of reaction.
This is often done by breaking up solids into smaller lumps (e.g. powders).
This increase in surface area to volume ratio makes sure that more particles are exposed to attack.
Substances that increase a chemical reaction’s rate without reducing in quantity during the reaction are called what ?
Catalyst
Limestone and marble structures crumble when reacted with acid. How will the recent increase in concentration of acid in rainwater affect the rate at which limestone and marble are being worn away?
Increased rate
How do catalysts increase the rate of reaction?
Catalysts increase the rate of chemical reactions by lowering the activation energy. They do this by changing the reaction pathway
Are catalysts used up in reactions?
Catalysts are not used up during chemical reactions. This means that:
They can be reused indefinitely.
They are not found in chemical equations.
But, catalysts will often need cleaning or regenerating, which has knock-on effects for energy expenditure and environmental impact.
What are some examples of catalysts?
Different catalysts are appropriate for different reactions:
Iron is used in the process that makes ammonia.
Platinum and palladium are used in catalytic converters in cars.
Enzymes catalyse reactions in biological systems.
What form do catalysts come in?
Catalysts often come as powders, pellets or fine gauzes because these types of substance have particularly high surface areas
What does rate of a chemical reaction tell us ?
how quickly reactants are converted into products.
In industry, reaction rates are very important.
Faster reaction rates may not always be better
In industry, making the required amount of product as cheaply as possible. Why is this ?
maximises all-important profit
Why are faster reactions often better then slow ?
Faster reactions are often better as they yield more product in a given amount of time.