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 am investigating the rate of reaction between iodine and propanone ... I am using HCl as my acid catalyst and am titrating with sodium thiosulphate. I have to expand on my method by changing the catalyst and the temperature ... what can I change my catalyst to and can you supply a method for changing the temperature? 141108
• I am doing advanced higher chemistry and I am finding the activation energy of sodium thiosulphate in the acid-thiosulphate reaction with hydrocholric acid. In order to do this I have to vary temperature....could you please give me some advice on how to go about starting this? What methods I should use and how to spread it over the allocated time of 6 weeks? 141108
• I am investigating the rate of reaction between potassium manganate(VII) (from 0.005 to 0.001 M) and oxalic acid (0.05 to 0.01 M). When adding it to the colorimeter, do I add a ratio of 1:1 and how would I measure this out... burette, pipette filler? 220908

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Tests

• Reaction kinetics (A2)

updated: 07 June 2007