Factors Affecting the Rate of Chemical Reactions
What factors affect the rate of a chemical reaction?
The four main factors that affect the rate of chemical reactions are
Concentration of the reactants,
Temperature of the reactants,
Surface area of the reactants,
Addition of a Catalyst.
1. Effect of Concentration on reaction rate
Concentration refers to how much solute is dissolved in a solution. If a
greater concentration of reactant atoms and molecules is present, there is a
greater chance that collisions will occur among them. More collisions mean a
higher reaction rate. Thus, increasing the concentration of the reactants
usually results in a higher reaction rate. At lower concentrations, there is less
chance for collisions between particles. This means that decreasing the
concentrations of the reactants results in a lower reaction rate.
2. Effect of temperature on reaction rate
Increasing the temperature increases the kinetic energy of the particles (atoms or
molecules) of the reactants, meaning the reacting particles move more quickly,
so that they collide with each other more often and with more energy. Thus,
there are more collisions which increases the rate, and the collisions also are
more likely to have the activation energy of the reaction, which also increases
the rate. These two effects are why small changes in temperature can have
significant effects on the rate of reaction. If you decrease the temperature, the
opposite effect occurs.
3. The effect of surface area on reaction rate
Surface area is the measure of how much area of an object is exposed. For the
same mass, many small particles have a greater total surface area than one
large particle. As more particles are on the surface, there are more collisions
between the reacting particles, and a higher rate of reaction. The more surface
contact between reactants, the higher the rate of reaction. The less surface
contact, the lower the reaction rate. It is also important to note that it is only
possible to increase the surface area of solids and liquids - not gases.
4. The effect of surface area on reaction rate
A catalyst is a substance that speeds up the
rate of a chemical reaction without being
used up in the reaction itself. Catalysts
reduce the activation energy required for a
chemical reaction. When catalysts are used,
a greater proportion of collisions between
reacting particles will be successful, making
a higher rate of reaction. For example,
enzymes are catalysts that allow chemical
reactions to occur at relatively low
temperatures within the body.
Name Date
Rate of chemical reactions
Vocabula
ry energ
collisions surface
catalys concentrati y area
t on dilute heat temperatur
catalyti
Use the terms in the vocabulary box to fill in the blanks. You may use each term only
once.
1.A freshly exposed surface of metallic sodium tarnishes almost instantly if
exposed to air and moisture, while iron will slowly turn to rust under the
same conditions.
In these two situations, the refers to how
quickly or slowly reactants turn into products.
2. Adding will increase the rate of
reaction because this causes the particles of the reactants to move more
quickly, resulting in more collisions and more
3. Removing heat will lower the-----------, causing the particles
of the reactants to slow down, resulting in less frequent collisions.
4. refers to how much
solute is dissolved in a solution. If there is a greater concentration of
reactant particles present, there is a greater chance that among
them will occur. More collisions mean a higher rate of reaction.
5. A concentrated acid solution will react more quickly than a
acid solution because there are more
molecules present, increasing the chance of collisions.
6. Grains of sugar have a greater than a solid
cube of sugar of the same mass, and therefore will dissolve quicker in
water.
7. A , for example an enzyme, is used to
speed up a chemical reaction but is not used up in the reaction itself.
8. A in a car has metallic catalysts where
several reactions occur. Carbon monoxide, which was produced in the
combustion of gasoline, is changed into carbon dioxide and water in the
presence of these metallic catalysts.
-Name ---1
Date
Different rates of
reactions
1.Indicate whether each of the following would increase or decrease
the rate of reaction.
(a) adding heat
(b) removing heat
(c) adding a catalyst
(d) diluting a solution _ _
(e) removing an enzyme
(f)lowering the temperature
(g) increasing the
temperature
(h) decreasing the
surface area
(i) increasing the concentration of a solution
(j) breaking a reactant down into smaller pieces
2.Identify which situation would have a higher reaction rate. Then state
the factor that affected the rate of reaction in each situation.
Situation X Situation Y Situation Factor
with a affectin
higher g the
reaction rate of
rate (X or reaction
Y)
(a) 1 g of sugar (cubes) 1 g of sugar (grains)
Name Date
(b)
(c)
low number of particles = high number of particles =
more collisions few collisions
(d)
enzyme added no enzyme added
(e)
twigs logs
