Finals Lesson 3: Factors Affecting Rate of Reaction and Reactions and Molecular Collisions

LEARNING COMPETENCY:

Describe how various factors influence the rate of reaction. (STEM_GC11CKIIIi-j-130)

Explain reactions qualitatively in terms of molecular collisions (STEM_GC11CKIIIi-j-136)

OBJECTIVES: At the end of the module, learners will be able to

1. identify the factors affecting the Rate of Reaction

2. describe/explain how each factor affects the Rate of Reaction
3. identify conditions for a chemical reaction to occur through molecular collisions
4. predict whether a chemical reaction will occur or not from the illustrations given
5. explain reactions qualitatively in terms of molecular collisions

CONTENT:

This time we now want to consider the speed with which a reaction takes place, or simply
known as the Reaction Rate and the factors that influence it.

The branch of physical science that studies the rate of reaction, the factors that affect them, and
their mechanism is called chemical kinetics.

Reaction rate shows the speed at which the products are formed or the reactants consumed.

As presented in the concept map, chemical reactions would only be possible under the two
conditions, first, if there is a proper orientation between particles during collision and second if these
particles have sufficient energies during collision. And reaction rate in a chemical reaction is influenced
by several factors, such as, temperature, concentration, particle size and the presence of a catalyst.
Factors Affecting the Chemical Reactions

1. Temperature
Generally increasing the temperature will speed up the rate of reaction, this is because
temperature is related to the average kinetic energy of the particles. The average kinetic energy
of the particles is directly proportional to temperature. This means that particles move faster at
a higher temperature. Higher temperature and kinetic energy mean faster rate of reaction. This
is due to increase in the number of effective collisions between particles. Lowering the
temperature means decreasing the reaction rate, this is why foods kept in the refrigerator last
longer as compared to the foods left at room temperature.

2. Concentration
Generally, the higher the concentration of the reactants, the faster the rate of reaction. This is
because the frequency of collision between particles is dependent on the number of particles in
a given volume.

For gases, concentration may be affected by changing the pressure and volume. Applying or
increasing the pressure in a given volume of gas, means decreasing the space or area where gas
particles move. This would result to an increase in a frequency of collision among particles, thus
increasing the rate of reaction

3. Surface Area
Reacting particles of the same phase (liquid/liquid) or (gas/gas) have the maximum opportunity
to collide. But if one of the reactants is a solid, then the reaction can only take place on the
surface of the solid. This means that the smaller the size of a solid particles, the greater its
surface area that the reaction can take place, therefore increasing the rate of reaction
 4. Nature of Reactants
The rate of reaction of substances differs from each other because they have different activity
rates. These differences in the rate of reaction are due to the fact that each substance has a
unique structure of ions, atoms, and molecules.

5. Presence of Catalysts
Many living organisms and many industrial and laboratory processes depend on catalysts to
speed up reactions. A catalyst (positive catalyst) is a substance that speeds up a chemical
reaction without being chemically changed itself. Catalysts that are present in organisms are
called enzymes. Enzymes are complex protein molecules responsible for the catalysis of many
chemical reactions in living organisms. There are also catalysts that inhibit the rate of reaction
they are sometimes called as negative catalysts or simply known as inhibitors. Preservatives are
examples of inhibitors.

How does a catalyst work? A catalyst increases the rate of reaction by lowering the activation
energy. Activation energy is the energy required to start a reaction. The lower the activation
energy, the faster the rate of reaction. This is because more molecules will have the energy for a
successful collision.

For a reaction to take place, the reacting molecules must collide with each other. (On average,
there are about 109 collisions per second). The particles must collide with a certain minimum energy
called the activation energy of the reaction. Activation energy is the minimum energy required to make
a reaction occur. This converts the reactants into activated complex, also known as the transition state.
The activated complex is a chemical species with partially broken and partially formed bonds which
possess high energy.
 If the particles collide with less energy than the activation energy, nothing interesting happens.
They bounce apart. The activation energy can be thought of as a barrier to the reaction. Only those
collisions with energies equal to or greater than the activation energy result in a reaction

Once molecules collide, they may react together or they may not, depending on two factors:

1. The collision must involve enough energy to produce the reaction; that is, the collision energy
must equal or exceed the activation energy.
2. The reacting molecules collide in the proper orientation for new bonds to form

For a collision to lead to overcoming the energy barrier, the reacting molecules must have
sufficient kinetic energy so that when they collide the activated complex can form.

Particles that lack the necessary kinetic energy may collide, but the particles will simply bounce
off one another unchanged. Collisions can classify as ineffective (not successful) and effective
(successful) collision. Take a look at the figures below.
Molecular Orientation and Effective Collisions

Even if two molecules collide with sufficient activation energy, there is no guarantee that the
collision will be successful. In fact, the collision theory says that not every collision is successful, even if
molecules are moving with enough energy. The reason for this is because molecules also need to collide
with the right orientation, so that the proper atoms line up with one another, and bonds can break and
re-form in the necessary fashion.

For example, in the gas-phase reaction of dinitrogen oxide with nitric oxide, the oxygen end of
N2O must hit the nitrogen end of NO; if either molecule is not lined up correctly, no reaction will occur
upon their collision, regardless of how much energy they have. However, because molecules in the
liquid and gas phase are in constant, random motion, there is always the probability that two molecules
will collide in just the right way for them to react.

References:

1. Cantal, K.M et.al (nd). General Chemistry 2 – Quarter 2-Week 1 (Module 1). Kinetic
Molecular Model. DepEd Region V.