Topic 6: Chemical Reactions
6.1 Rates of Reaction
Content
1. Physical and Chemical Changes
2. Collision Theory
3. Rate of Reaction
• Factors affecting Rate of Reaction
• Investigating Rate of Reaction
• Interpreting Data
Learning objectives
• Describe and explain the effect of
concentration, particle size, catalysts
(including enzymes) and temperature on the
rate of reactions
Physical vs Chemical Changes
• Physical changes (such as melting or evaporating)
do not produce any new chemical substances
• During chemical changes in chemical reactions,
new chemical substances are formed that have
very different properties to the reactants
There may be signs that a new substance has formed, such as:
– A colour change
– A precipitate being formed
– Bubbles of gas being produced
How do
Chemical Reactions
Happen?
In Contact
• Reactions
don’t happen
unless the
substances
are in
contact.
Why?
• The particles
of the
reactants
need to get
together so
that they can
react.
How does that work then?
Reactant particles
collide
REACTION
Product particles
formed
Is it really that simple?
Yes
Well, sort of.
not really.
OK, not quite!
Not all collisions are effective
• Paper burns
• Paper + oxygen carbon dioxide + water + nitrogen
• The paper in this room isn’t burning.
• It doesn’t have enough energy to burn.
• If we make it hotter it will catch fire.
• Paper burns on its own at 250 ºC
Activation Energy
• The amount of
• Reactions only happen if the particles
activation energy
have enough energy.
needed is
different for
• The minimum amount of energy
each needed
reaction.
to start a reaction is called the
Activation Energy •
But
• Every reaction
has activation
energy, they all
More than the activation energy.
Reactant particles
collide
REACTION
Product particles
formed
Collision Theory
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eSInI1xHvh4
Chemical reactions can only happen if
reactant particles collide with enough
energy. The more frequently particles
collide, and the greater the proportion of
collisions with enough energy, the greater
the rate of reaction.
A proper orientation is needed
For collision to be effective
Rates of Reactions
The rate of a reaction can be measured by the
rate at which a reactant is used up, or the rate at
which a product is formed.
A + B C + D
REACTANTS PRODUCTS
The temperature, concentration, pressure of
reacting gases, surface area and the use of
catalysts, are all factors which affect the rate of
a reaction.
Measuring Rates of Reactions
Reactions that happen slowly have a low rate of
reaction.
Reactions that happen quickly have a high rate of
reaction.
There are two ways to measure the rate of a
reaction:
Measure the rate at which a reactant is used
up
Measure the rate at which a product is formed
Things to Measure
The measurement itself depends on the
nature of the reactant or product:
The mass of a substance - solid, liquid or gas
The volume of a gas
For example, if 24 cm3 of hydrogen gas is
produced in two minutes, the mean rate of
reaction = 24 ÷ 2 = 12 cm3 hydrogen / min.
Effect of Surface Area
If a solid reactant is
broken into small pieces
or ground into a powder:
• its surface area
increases
• more particles are
exposed to the other
reactant
• there are more
collisions
The rate of reaction
increases.
Effect of Pressure/Concentration
If the concentration
reactant is increased, or
the pressure of a
reacting gas is
increased:
• the reactant particles
become more crowded
• there is a greater
chance of the
particles colliding
The rate of reaction
increases.
Effect of Temperature on Rate
If the temperature is
increased:
• the reactant particles
move more quickly
• they have more
energy
• the particles collide
more often
The rate of reaction
increases
Effect of Catalyst on Rate
A catalyst is a
substance that can
increase the rate of
a reaction without
being used up itself!
Effect of Catalyst on Rate
A catalyst works by lowering the activation
energy for the reaction.
