Question

What is the effect of temperature on the rate of a chemical reaction?

Answer 1

1. Rate increases with temperature: An increase in temperature generally increases the rate of a chemical reaction.
2. Reason: Higher temperature raises the average kinetic energy of molecules.
3. Activation energy factor: More molecules gain energy equal to or greater than the activation energy (E_a​), increasing the number of effective collisions.
4. Arrhenius equation: According to `k = Ae^(−Ea//(RT))`, the rate constant k increases exponentially with temperature.
5. Rule of thumb: For many reactions, a temperature rise of 10 K approximately doubles the reaction rate.
6. Conclusion: Temperature has a strong positive effect on reaction rate because it exponentially increases the rate constant.