University of Zakho

Faculty of Science
Department of Chemistry

Rate of reaction

• Prepared by:
• Sozdar Ayoub
• Ibrahim Zahdi
• Ahmed Ghalib
• Yousif Idrees
Supervisor by:
Mr.Ibrahim
2019-2020
Content :

❖Introduction………………………………..2
❖Rate of reaction……………………………2

❖Slow And Fast Chemical Reactio…......2

• Slow reaction………………………………3
• Fast reaction ……….……………….…….3

❖Factor effect on rate reaction.………….3

• Nature of reaction …………..….………..3

• Phase and Surface Area Effects…………..4
• Concentration ……………………………4
• Temperature ………………….…………..5
• Catalyst…………….………….…………..6

❖Law of rate reaction and example …...6

❖Conclusion………….…………………..7

1
Introduction:
Although a balanced chemical equation for a reaction describes the
quantitative relationships between the amounts of reactants present and
the amounts of products that can be formed, it gives us no information
about whether or how fast a given reaction will occur. This information is
obtained by studying the chemical kinetics of a reaction, which depend on
various factors: reactant concentrations, temperature, physical states and
surface areas of reactants, and solvent and catalyst properties if either are
present. By studying the kinetics of a reaction, chemists gain insights into
how to control reaction conditions to achieve a desired outcome.[1]
Rate of reaction
,a rate of reaction can be expressed in the change in amount of reactant per
some amount of time. Expressed mathematically, this is rate. [7]

where the Greek letter capital delta implies “change.” If amounts were
expressed in moles and time in seconds, a rate would have units of mol/s.
Moles of what? This is a necessary distinction, but one that is easy to forget.
For example, in the balanced chemical reaction. [7]

there are 2 moles of hydrogen reacting with every mole of oxygen to make
water. If a rate is expressed as 1.00 mol/s, are we talking about 1 mole of
hydrogen gas reacting every second, or 1 mole of oxygen gas? Because of
the stoichiometry in equation 20.2, a rate of 1 mole per second is not
specific enough to communicate what the actual rate of the reaction is.
However, also because of the stoichiometry of the balanced chemical
reaction, rates of reactions in terms of individual reactants and products are
related. All one has to do is specify one rate in terms of a single species, and
the rate with respect to any other species in the balanced chemical reaction
can be determined. [7]
Slow and fast chemical reactions
As we have discussed above that there are so many types of chemical
reaction which are taking place around us. Some of these reactions are very

2
fast while others are slow. So we can categories the chemical reactions
broadly into two types depending upon their rate of reaction:[2]
1. Slow chemical reactions and
2. Fast chemical reactions.
1. Slow chemical reactions
These are those chemical reactions which take place at very slow rate.
These reactions can take days, months or even years to complete. In general
the reactions between covalent compounds are slow. For example rusting
of iron or fermentation of sugar into ethyl alcohol and carbon dioxide can
take place in several hours or even in several days. In the same way
weathering of rocks takes place in millions of years.[2]
2. Fast chemical reactions
These are those chemical reactions which take place at a very fast rate.
These reactions can take place in seconds or in minutes. In general the
reactions between ionic compounds are fast. For example, combustion of
LPG gas in kitchen takes place in a few seconds so it is a fast reaction. In the
same way reaction of an acid like HCl with a base such as NaOH takes place
in seconds to produce a salt NaCl and water is very fast reaction. This
reaction is also called neutralization reaction.[2]

Factors affecting on the rate of reaction

1. Nature of reaction :

Nature of Reactants Individual properties of substances also affect reaction

rates. The scope of these properties is broad and there are few
generalizations that you can apply consistently. Some of the properties in
this category are state of matter, molecular size, bond type and bond
strength. State of Matter Gases tend to react faster than solids or liquids: It
takes energy to separate particles from each other. In order to burn candle
wax, the solid wax has to be melted and then vaporized before it reacts with
oxygen. Methane gas is already in the gas state so it burns faster than wax.
balanced equation for combustion of methane fast balanced equation for
combustion of wax slow Aqueous ions tend to react faster than species in
3
other states of matter: Solid lead(II) nitrate will react with solid potassium
iodide, but the reaction is really, really slow. That's because the ionic
bonding in each reactant is strong and the ions in each compound are hard
to separate from each other. When aqueous solutions of these compounds
are mixed, the formation of lead(II) iodide is rapid. In aqueous solutions, the
ions of each compound are dissociated. When the two the solutions are
mixed together, all that is required for a reaction to occur is contact
between the lead(II) ions and the iodide ions.{5}

2. Phase and Surface Area Effects :

When two reactants are in the same fluid phase, their particles collide more
frequently than when one or both reactants are solids (or when they are in
different fluids that do not mix). If the reactants are uniformly dispersed in
a single homogeneous solution, then the number of collisions per unit time
depends on concentration and temperature, as we have just seen. If the
reaction is heterogeneous, however, the reactants are in two different
phases, and collisions between the reactants can occur only at interfaces
between phases. The number of collisions between reactants per unit time
is substantially reduced relative to the homogeneous case, and, hence, so is
the reaction rate. The reaction rate of a heterogeneous reaction depends
on the surface area of the more condensed phase. Automobile engines use
surface area effects to increase reaction rates. Gasoline is injected into each
cylinder, where it combusts on ignition by a spark from the spark plug. The
gasoline is injected in the form of microscopic droplets because in that form
it has a much larger surface area and can burn much more rapidly than if it
were fed into the cylinder as a stream. Similarly, a pile of finely divided flour
burns slowly (or not at all), but spraying finely divided flour into a flame
produces a vigorous reaction.[1]

3. Concentration:
Concentration Effects Two substances cannot possibly react with each other
unless their constituent particles (molecules, atoms, or ions) come into
contact. If there is no contact, the reaction rate will be zero. Conversely, the
more reactant particles that collide per unit time, the more often a reaction

4
between them can occur. Consequently, the reaction rate usually increases
as the concentration of the reactants increases.[1]

For example, a solution made by dissolving sodium hydroxide in water has

its concentration expressed as moles of NaOH per litre of solution. Gases
can also have their concentrations expressed in mol/L. In terms of the
collision theory, increasing the concentration of a reactant increases in the
number of collisions between the reacting species per second and therefore
increases the reaction rate. Consider the reaction between hydrochloric
acid and zinc metal.Concentrated versus dilute HCl with Zn In one beaker,
6.00 mol/L HCl is reacted with 2.00 g of Zn. In another, 1.00 mol/L HCl is
reacted with 2.00 g of Zn. Which reaction should occur at the faster rate? In
terms of the collision theory, collisions between zinc atoms and
hydrochloric acid are more frequent in the beaker containing 6.0 M HCl -
there is more acid per unit of volume. You can change the concentration of
an aqueous species by simply adding more solute (to make it more
concentrated) or adding more solvent (to make it more dilute). You can
change the concentration of a gas by adding more gas to a fixed volume or
by decreasing the volume of the container. Conversely, the concentration
of a gas can be decreased by removing (evacuating) a gas from a fixed
volume or by increasing the volume of the container.{3}

4. Temperature :
Temperature Effects Increasing the temperature of a system increases the
average kinetic energy of its constituent particles. As the average kinetic
energy increases, the particles move faster and collide more frequently per
unit time and possess greater energy when they collide. Both of these
factors increase the reaction rate. Hence the reaction rate of virtually all
reactions increases with increasing temperature. Conversely, the reaction
rate of virtually all reactions decreases with decreasing temperature. For
example, refrigeration retards the rate of growth of bacteria in foods by
decreasing the reaction rates of biochemical reactions that enable bacteria
to reproduce. In systems where more than one reaction is possible, the
same reactants can produce different products under different reaction
conditions.{1}

5
For example, in the presence of dilute sulfuric acid and at temperatures
around 100°C, ethanol is converted to diethyl ether:{1}

CH3CH2OH + H2SO4 −→ CH3CH2OCH2CH3+H2O

At 180°C, however, a completely different reaction occurs, which produces

ethylene as the major product:{1}

CH3CH2OH + H2SO4 −→C2H4+H2O

5. Catalyst :

Catalyst Effects A catalyst is a substance that participates in a chemical

reaction and increases the reaction rate without undergoing a net chemical
change itself. Consider, for example, the decomposition of hydrogen
peroxide in the presence and absence of different catalysts. Because most
catalysts are highly selective, they often determine the product of a reaction
by accelerating only one of several possible reactions that could occur. {1}

Rate law and rate constant

The rate of reaction is often found to be proportional to the concentrations
of the reactants raised to a power. For example, the rate of a reaction might
be found to be proportional to the molar concentrations of two reactants A
and B, so [8]
v = kr[A][B]
The constant of proportionality kr is called the rate constant for the
reaction; it is independent of the concentrations but depends on the
temperature. An experimentally determined equation of this kind is called
the rate law of the reaction. More formally, a rate law is an equation that
expresses the rate of reaction in terms of the concentrations of all the
species present in the overall chemical equation for the reaction at the time
of interest: v = f([A],[B], …) Rate law in terms of concentrations [general
form] [8]
In this equation, [A] and [B] express the concentrations of A and B,
respectively, in units of moles per liter. The exponents x and y vary for each
reaction, and they must be determined experimentally; they are not related

6
to the stoichiometric coefficients of the chemical equation. Lastly, k is
known as the rate constant of the reaction. The value of this coefficient k
will vary with conditions that affect reaction rate, such as temperature,
pressure, surface area, etc. A smaller rate constant indicates a slower
reaction, while a larger rate constant indicates a faster reaction.{4}

Example:
Let’s say that at 25 °C, we observe that the rate of decomposition of N2O5 is
1.4×10-3 M/s when the initial concentration of N2O5 is 0.020 M. Then, let’s
say that we run the experiment again at the same temperature, but this
time we begin with a different concentration of N2O5 , which is 0.010 M. On
this second trial, we observe that the rate of decomposition of N2O5 is
7.0×10-4 M/s. We can now set up a ratio of the first rate to the second
rate:{4}

Notice that the left side of the equation is simply equal to 2, and that the
rate constants cancel on the right side of the equation. Everything simplifies
to:{4}

2.0=2.0m

Clearly, then, m=1, and the decomposition is a first-order reaction.{4}

Conclusion
The Reaction Rate for a given chemical reaction is the measure of the
change in concentration of the reactants or the change in
concentration of the products per unit time. The speed of a chemical
reaction may be defined as the change in concentration of a
substance divided by the time interval during which this change is
observed{6

7
Reference :

1. https://chem.libretexts.org/Bookshelves/Physical_and_Theoretical_
Chemistry_Textbook_Maps/Supplemental_Modules_(Physical_and_
Theoretical_Chemistry)/Kinetics/Reaction_Rates/Factors_That_Affec
t_Reaction_Rates
2. http://www.funscience.in/study-
zone/Chemistry/RateOfChemcalReactions/SlowAndFastChemicalRea
ctions.php#sthash.QObsWO2t.dpbs
3. https://www.cdli.ca/sampleResources/chem3202/unit01_org01_ilo0
3/b_activity.html
4. https://courses.lumenlearning.com/boundless-
chemistry/chapter/the-rate-law-concentration-and-time/
5. https://www.cdli.ca/sampleResources/chem3202/unit01_org01_ilo0
3/b_activity.html
6. https://chem.libretexts.org/Bookshelves/Physical_and_Theoretical_
Chemistry_Textbook_Maps/Supplemental_Modules_(Physical_and_
Theoretical_Chemistry)/Kinetics/Reaction_Rates/Reaction_Rate
7. David W. Ball. 2011. Physical Chemistry. Cengage Learning. chapter
20.2 p- 682
8. Peter Atkins, Julio de Paula, James Keeler.Atkins’physical chemistry
11th Edition.( 2018). Oxford University Press.chapter17A.2(b).page-
726