CHEMICAL REACTIONS - RATE OF REACTION #2

Rate of Reaction
The rate of a reaction is the speed at which areaction happens. If a reaction has a low rate, that means the molecules combine at a slower speed than a reaction with a high rate. Some reactions take hundreds, maybe even thousands, of years while others can happen in less than one second. The rate of reaction depends on the type of molecules that are combining. If you want to think of a very slow reaction, think about how long it took dinosaur bones to become fossils through breakdown. You can thank chemical processes in bacteria for most of those dinosaur bones in the museum. 

There is another big idea for rates of reaction called collision theory. The collision theory says that as more collisions in a system occur, there will be more combinations of molecules bouncing into each other. If there are a higher number of collisions in a system, more combinations of molecules can occur. The reaction will go faster and the rate of that reaction will be higher. Even though they are both liquids, think about how slowly molecules move in honey when compared to your soda. There are a lower number of collisions in the honey. 

Reactions happen - no matter what. Chemicals are always combining or breaking down. The reactions happen over and over, but not always at the same speed. A few things affect the overall speed of the reaction and the number of collisions that can occur. 

Concentration: If there is more of a substance in a system, there is a greater chance that molecules will collide and speed up the rate of the reaction. If there is less of something, there will be fewer collisions and the reaction will probably happen at a slower speed. 
Sometimes you will mix solutions in ice so that the temperature of the system stays cold and the rate of reaction is slower. 

Pressure: Pressure affects the rate of reaction, especially when you look at gases. When you increase the pressure, the molecules have less space in which they can move. That greater density of molecules increases the number of collisions. When you decrease the pressure, molecules don't hit each other as often. The lower pressure decreases the rate of reaction. 

REACTIONS RATE - QUIZ