Collision Theory and Rates of Reaction

1 There are four main factors that affect the rate of reaction. These are:
a) concentration . This is a measure of how crowded the particles are in a solution and the
frequencies of collisions .

b) surface area. This is a measure of how much solid is exposed to reaction and therefore
how many collisions may take place.

c) temperature , which is related to the kinetic energy of the particles and therefore their
speed. The consequence of changing this factor is that the frequency with which the
particles collide changes and how energetic the collisions are. The energy required for any
reaction to take place is called the activation energy for that reaction.

d) The presence of a catalyst . These speed up a chemical reaction but is unchanged

chemically. They work by providing an alternative reaction pathway, thus lowering the
activation energy for the reaction.

WORD BANK

collisions surface area unchanged reaction pathway

concentration frequent collisions entropy temperature kinetic

energetic frequency number collide activation

catalyst energy enthalpy

2. Which of the two graphs shows the amount of product

during a reaction and which one shows how much reactant
there is?

Reactant Product
4. Colour code the boxes to match up a set of 3.
Reaction rate This means that there is a
increases when bigger area of a solid
a catalyst is exposed, so there is a
used greater chance of collisions
causing a reaction.
Reaction rate Small particles have a
increases when greater overall area than the
temperature is same amount of big particles.
increased This means there are more
particles exposed so more
collisions can happen.
Reaction rate Catalysts lower the
increases when ‘activation energy’ of a
pressure is reaction, allowing it to
increased happen with less energy
input.
Reactions go If particles move faster,
faster when there is more chance of them
the surface bumping into each other and
area is therefore of a collision
increased. resulting in reaction.
Rate of If there are more reacting
reaction particles in a given volume,
increases when then there is a greater
particle size chance of them bumping into
gets smaller. each other.
Reactions Reacting particles get pushed
speed up when closer together so there is
the reactants more chance of a successful
are more collision happening.
concentrated.
People dancing at a
party are more likely
to bump into each
other than people
sitting down.
If you have 100
people, they are more
likely to bump into
each other if in this
classroom compared to
the field.
If you lower the bar
in a high jump
competition, more
people can get over
it.
A lot of children in a
room are more likely
to bump into each
other than a few
adults.
Chips fry faster than
potatoes because the
oil can cover a bigger
area
More bumper cars on
the track means that
you are more likely to
bump into someone than
if there were only 2
or 3.