Collision Theory & Activation Energy Flashcards

All 6 cards in this deck

What does collision theory state about when a chemical reaction can occur?

Reactions occur only when reacting particles collide with each other and with sufficient energy.

What is activation energy?

The minimum amount of energy that particles must have in order to react.

Using collision theory, why does increasing the concentration of a solution increase the rate of reaction?

There are more reactant particles in the same volume, so collisions are more frequent.

Using collision theory, why does increasing the temperature increase the rate of reaction?

Particles have more energy and move faster, so collisions are more frequent and a greater proportion have enough energy to react.

Using collision theory, why do smaller pieces of a solid reactant react faster than larger lumps?

They have a larger surface area to volume ratio, so more particles are exposed and collisions are more frequent.

True or false? Increasing the pressure of reacting gases speeds up the reaction because the collisions become more energetic.

False. The particles are closer together, so collisions are more frequent — not more energetic.