Chemical reactions can occur at vastly different rates
The reactivity of chemicals is a significant factor in how fast chemical reactions proceed
There are many variables that can be manipulated in order to speed up or slow down chemical reactions
Chemical reactions may also be reversible
The effect of different variables needs to be established in order to identify how to maximise the yield of desired product
Understanding energy changes that accompany chemical reactions is important for this process
In industry, chemists and chemical engineers determine the effect of different variables on
1. Reaction rate
2. Yield of product
Whilst there may be compromises to be made, they carry out optimisation processes to ensure that enough product is produced within a sufficient time, and in an energy-efficient way
