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Chapter 13: Problem 58

Would increasing the temperature increase or decrease the rate of a reaction? Explain your choice fully.

Short Answer

Expert verified
Increasing the temperature will increase the rate of a reaction. This is because, according to collision theory and kinetic molecular theory, higher temperatures lead to particles having greater average kinetic energy, resulting in more frequent and higher-energy collisions between reactant particles. These higher-energy collisions increase the likelihood of successful reactions by overcoming activation energy barriers, thus increasing the overall reaction rate.

Step by step solution

01

Understand Collision Theory

Collision theory states that for a chemical reaction to occur, reactant particles must collide with each other, and these collisions must have enough energy (activation energy) to break the existing chemical bonds and form new ones. The more frequent and higher-energy collisions, the faster the reaction rate.
02

Determine the effect of temperature on collision frequency and energy

According to the kinetic molecular theory, as temperature increases, the average kinetic energy of particles also increases. This means that when the temperature is increased, particles move faster, and are more likely to collide with each other. Moreover, those collisions will have higher energy on average, which increases the likelihood of having enough energy to overcome the activation energy and result in a successful reaction.
03

Conclude the effect of temperature on reaction rate

Based on our understanding of collision theory and the effect of temperature on the motion and energy of particles, we can conclude that increasing the temperature will increase the rate of a reaction. The reason is that at higher temperatures, there are more frequent and higher-energy collisions between reactant particles, which increases the probability of successful reactions and, therefore, the overall reaction rate.

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Most popular questions from this chapter

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