Rate of Reaction

• The rate of reaction is how quickly reactants are used up or products are produced.
• The mean rate of reaction = change in quantity of product or reactant / time taken
• The unit for rate of reaction in a reaction involving a change in mass is g/s
• The unit for rate of change in a reaction involving a change in volume is cm^3/s
• Activation energy is the minimum amount of energy colliding particles need to have before a reaction will take place.
• Increasing concentration increases the rate of reaction because more reactant particles in the same volume lead to more frequent collisions.
• Increasing pressure increases the rate of reaction because less space between particles means more frequent collisions.
• Increasing surface area increases the rate of reaction because more reactant particles are exposed and able to collide, leading to more frequent collisions.
• Increasing temperature increases the rate of reaction because particles move faster, leading to more frequent collisions - particles have the same activation energy, so more collisions result in reactions.
• A catalyst is a substance that increases the rate of reaction but is not used up in the reaction.
• Catalysts increase the rate of reaction by lowering the activation energy of the reaction, so more collisions result in a reaction.