Brainlag PlusWhy temperature, concentration, pressure, surface area and catalysts change the rate, explained with collisions and activation energy.
Collisions that count
Particles can only react when they collide, and only if they collide with enough energy.
The smallest energy needed is the activation energy.
So a reaction speeds up when there are:
- more frequent collisions (more collisions every second), or
- more energetic collisions (a bigger share with at least the activation energy).
The rest of this lesson and its 12 practice questions are in Plus.
Screen 1 of 5, free to read.
- 12 exam-style questions, marked as you go, each with a worked solution
- The Rates of reaction simulation beside every question
- Anything you get wrong is saved to your flashcards