Speed of reaction

Speed of a reaction can be measured by:

(i) change in mass of reactant or product over time
(ii) volume of gas liberated over time
(iii) temperature / pressure changes
(iv) colour / precipitate or pH change
Speed of a reaction can be measured by:
(i) change in mass of reactant or product over time

Sketch graph:

Chemical equation: Hydrochloric acid + calcium carbonate

Speed of a reaction can be measured by:
(ii) volume of gas liberated over time

Sketch graph:

Chemical equation: Hydrochloric acid + zinc

Speed of a reaction can be followed through
by analyzing a reaction rate curve.
Collision Theory
For a reaction to occur,
the reacting particles must collide with one another;
the particles must possess sufficient Activation
energy
Any factor that increases the rate of effective
collision will increase the speed of reaction.
The main factors which can affect the speed of a che
mical reaction are:
Temperature
particle size
concentration
pressure
catalyst
 (i) Temperature of reactants:
The higher the temperature, the faster the Sketch graph:
speed of reaction because:
1. At a higher temperature, reacting
particles have more energy. They move
faster and collide more frequently.
2. Due to the increase in the energy of
reacting particles, there are more reacting
particles having the activation energy
required for the reaction to occur.
3. This leads to an increase in the number of
effective collisions per unit time.

For every 10oC rise in temperature, the

speed of reaction approximately doubles.
 (ii) Particle size (surface area) of reactants:
A decrease in the size of the particles Sketch graph:
of the reactants (larger surface area)
increases the speed of reaction because:
The area of contact between the reacting
particles increases , the number of effective
collisions per unit time also increases

Examples
Coal dust burn faster than large pieces as it has larger surface
area. In coal mines, when air contains too much coal dust,
explosion can occur from a single spark or match. Water is
sprayed into the air to remove coal dust.
Flour in mills can ignite easily due to large surface area.
 (iii) Concentration of reactants:
An increase in concentration of the
reactants increases the speed of Sketch graph:
reaction because:
When the concentration of
a reactant is increased, there are
more reacting particles per unit
volume.
The frequency of collisions
between the reacting particles
thus increases.
This leads to an increase in the
number of effective collisions per
unit time.
(iii) Pressure of reactant (for gases only):
An increase in pressure of the reactants increases the speed
of the reaction because:
When the pressure of a gas is increased, there are more gas
particles per unit volume.
The frequency of collisions between the gas particles thus
increases.
This leads to an increase in the number of effective collisions per
unit time
Catalyst
A catalyst is a substance that
changes the speed of the
reaction but it remains
chemically unchanged at the end
of the reaction.
Catalysts provide an alternative
pathway for reactions to occur.
In the catalyzed pathway, less
energy is required for
the reaction to occur, so the
activation energy is lowered.
Catalyst
Catalysts only changes the speed of reaction, they do not increase the
yield of products.
Some common industrial uses of catalysts:
Heat of reaction