Rates of reaction - kinetics (A2)

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Chemical kinetics is the study of the rates of chemical reactions. A quantitative study of rates leads to the idea of a rate equation. Understanding rate equations helps chemists to control the rate of chemical changes and to explore the mechanisms of chemical reactions. So this topic gives answers to two important questions: 'How fast?' and 'How?'.
 
In this part of the site we answer general questions about the theory of chemical kinetics. We are asked a lot of questions about investigations, especially studies of the rate of reaction of metals with acid. You will find tutorials and FAQs about these investigations at 'Metals + Acids' investigations.
Tutorials on other investigations and general advice on planning and writing up investigations can be found under Practical Investigations.
 
NEW - Summer 2007
We have also now sorted and listed most of the questions we have received on this topic over the years - see Sorted questions on rates of reaction. The unsorted questions also still appear under 'Recently Asked Questions' at the end of this section.
 

back to A2 Chemistry

Tutorials

• Sorted FAQs on Rates of Reaction.
• 'Metals + Acids' investigations
• Logarithms and the rate equation
• Rates from concentration
• Rates and mechanisms: audio tutorial
• How does 'y = mx + c' relate to the Arrhenius equation?

Webguides

• Schoolhouse kinetics reaction
• Key ideas about rates of reaction
• Catalysts and how they work

Recently Asked Questions

• I have calculated the activation enthalpy for the reaction of sodium thiosulphate and hydrochloric acid and cannot find an accepted value for it to compare with the one I've calculated. Could you please give me one? 250509
• Why is it that we always measure the initial rate of reactions as opposed to the overall rate? 250509
• I'm researching the effect that crown ethers have on a reaction between potassium permanganate and ethanedioic acid with regards to 18-6 crown ether. From experimental data it seems the crown ether is acting as a catalyst. I'm struggling to find out how. One source suggests that the Mn²⁺ is the same size as the central cavity of the crown ether. Other sources say that the 18-6 crown ether has an affinity for the potassium cation, but isn't the K+ a spectator ion? This is the equation for my reaction: Mn0₄^- (aq) + 6H⁺(aq) + 5(CO₂H)₂(aq) ---> 2Mn²⁺(aq) + 10CO₂ + 8H₂O I got my source for this investigation from an article by Derek Denby in Chemistry Review. You can obtain the article from http://www.york.ac.uk/depts/chem/chemrev/autocat.doc How is the crown ether acting as a catalyst? Thanks. 120409

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Tests

• Reaction kinetics (A2)

updated: 07 June 2007