What units are typically used in expressing the rate of a reaction?
It is measured as a change in the amount of reactants or products (usually in terms of concentration) divided by the change in time. Typical units: M/s, etc.
Explain the difference between the average rate of reaction and the instantaneous rate of reaction.
The average rate of reaction can be calculated for any time interval. The instantaneous rate of reaction is the rate at any one point in time, represented by the instantaneous slope of the curve at that point.
Explain the difference between the rate law for a reaction and the integrated rate law for a reaction. What relationship does each kind of rate law express?
The rate law shows the relationship between the rate of a reaction and the concentrations of the reactants. The integrated rate law is a relationship between the concentration of a reactant and time.
Explain activation energy.
The energy required to create the activated complex. In order to go from the reactant to the product a molecule must go through a high-energy intermediate state called the activated complex. Even if a reaction is exothermic (energetically downhill) it mus
Explain frequency factor
The number of times that the reactants approach the activation barrier per unit time.
Explain exponential factor
The fraction of approaches that are successful in surmounting the activation barrier and forming products. Increasing with increasing temperature, but decreases with increasing activation energy.
Explain how reactions occur within the collision model.
In the collision model a chemical reaction occurs after a sufficiently energetic collision between the two reactant molecules. In collision theory, therefore, each approach to the activation barrier is a collision between the reactant molecules. The value