Question

How does activation of a reaction vary with rise in temperature?

Answer 1

1. The activation energy of a reaction is a fixed property of the reaction and does not change with temperature.
2. However, with a rise in temperature, the kinetic energy of the reacting molecules increases, and a larger fraction of molecules acquire energy equal to or greater than the activation energy.
3. This leads to an increase in the number of effective collisions, and hence, the rate of reaction increases.
4. Therefore, although the activation energy remains constant, the activation of the reaction appears to increase because more molecules are able to overcome the energy barrier at higher temperatures.