Jaromir Kenneth Clara Martínez

Ingeniería en Biotecnología ID: 3434978

Laboratorio de Nanotecnología y Tecnología de Materiales

PRE-LAB QUESTIONS 3: UNIQUE PROPERTIES II

1. How do we define the rate of a chemical reaction?

The rate of a chemical reaction is defined as the change in concentration of anyone of the reactants
or product per unit time (Hynes, 2003). So, the rate of reaction is effectively the speed the product
is formed and the speed with which the reactant is used up.

2. What factors affect the rate of chemical reactions?

 Temperature: reactions speed up with increasing temperature.
 Surface area: the larger the surface area of the solid, the faster the reaction will be.
 Reactant concentration: more concentrated the faster the rate.
 Catalysts: catalyst speeds up a reaction, an inhibitor slows it down.

(Dillon, 2020)

3. What is a catalyst?

Substance that speeds up the rate of a chemical reaction but is not consumed during the course of
the reaction. Generally, catalysts alter the mechanism of the reaction in a substantial way such that
the new barriers along the reaction coordinate are significantly lower (Sips, 2003).

Catalysts in the same phase are called homogeneous catalysts, while those in different phases are
called heterogeneous catalysts, like Nanomaterial-based catalysts.

4. Why are manufacturers interested in using nanoparticles as catalysts?

Overall, the unique properties of nanoparticles make them highly attractive for catalytic
applications, offering opportunities for improved efficiency, selectivity, and sustainability in
various manufacturing processes. These properties derive from the large percentage of
coordinately unsaturated atoms located at the surface, edges, and corners of the NPs compared to
the total number of atoms (Navalón & García, 2016).
 Jaromir Kenneth Clara Martínez
Ingeniería en Biotecnología ID: 3434978
Laboratorio de Nanotecnología y Tecnología de Materiales

References

Hynes, T. (2003). Chemical reaction dynamics in solution. Annual Review of Physical Chemistry,
36(1), 573-597.
Dillon, S. (2020) The Rates of Chemical Reactions. Chemistry for Liberal Studies. Florida State
University. https://www.chem.fsu.edu/chemlab/chm1020c/Lecture%208/01.php

Sips, R. (2003). On the structure of a catalyst surface. The journal of chemical physics, 16(5), 490-
495.

Navalón S, García H. Nanoparticles for Catalysis. Nanomaterials (Basel). 2016 Jun 23;6(7):123.
doi: 10.3390/nano6070123. PMID: 28335250; PMCID: PMC5224611.