Reaction Rates

Collison theory

Collision theory explains how reactions occur and why they occur at different rates.

The minimum requirements for a reaction to happen are the following : particles must collide, the energy of particles must exceed the activation energy.

We can increase the rate of reaction by increasing number of collisions and/or the energy of reactant particles.

We can do this by changing the four main factors:

• Temperature
• Pressure ( for gases)
• Surface area
• Concentration

Plotting Reaction Rates

The rate of reaction can be analysed by plotting a graph.

The gradient of the line is equal to the rate of reaction:

• The steeper the line, the greater the rate of reaction
• rate of…