What is the effect of increasing temperature on the rate of a chemical reaction
Practice Questions
Q1
What is the effect of increasing temperature on the rate of a chemical reaction according to the Arrhenius equation?
Rate decreases
Rate remains constant
Rate increases exponentially
Rate increases linearly
Questions & Step-by-Step Solutions
What is the effect of increasing temperature on the rate of a chemical reaction according to the Arrhenius equation?
Step 1: Understand that the Arrhenius equation relates temperature to the rate of a chemical reaction.
Step 2: The Arrhenius equation is usually written as k = A * e^(-Ea/(RT)), where k is the rate constant, A is the pre-exponential factor, Ea is the activation energy, R is the gas constant, and T is the temperature in Kelvin.
Step 3: Notice that as temperature (T) increases, the value of -Ea/(RT) becomes less negative, which means e^(-Ea/(RT)) increases.
Step 4: Since k (the rate constant) is directly proportional to e^(-Ea/(RT)), an increase in temperature leads to a larger value of k.
Step 5: A larger rate constant (k) means that the reaction will occur faster, thus increasing the reaction rate.