Chemistry – Chemical reactions - Rate of reaction | e-Consult

Increasing the temperature generally increases the rate of reaction. This is because increasing the temperature increases the average kinetic energy of the reactant particles. Collision theory dictates that for a reaction to occur, particles must collide with sufficient energy (activation energy). Higher kinetic energy means a greater proportion of particles will have energy equal to or greater than the activation energy. Furthermore, increasing the temperature also increases the frequency of collisions between reactant particles. The combined effect of increased energy and frequency leads to a significantly faster reaction rate. A rough rule of thumb is that the rate of reaction roughly doubles for every 10°C increase in temperature.

• Higher temperature = higher average kinetic energy
• Higher kinetic energy = more particles with sufficient energy to overcome activation energy
• Higher temperature = more frequent collisions
• More collisions with sufficient energy = faster reaction rate