17.

1 The Reaction Process

1. 17.1 The Reaction Process
a. Reaction Mechanisms
i. reaction mechanism - the step-by-step sequence of reactions by which the
overall chemical change occurs
ii. Species that appear in some steps but not in the net equation are known as
intermediates
iii. homogeneous reaction - a reaction whose reactants and products exist in a
single phase
b. Collision Theory
i. In order for reactions to occur between substances, their particles (molecules,
atoms, or ions) must collide
ii. The set of assumptions regarding collisions and reactions is known as collision
theory
iii. According to the collision theory, two molecules must collide in order to react
1. they must collide while favorably oriented and with enough energy to
merge the valence electrons and disrupt the bonds of the molecules
2. If a collision is too gentle, the two molecules simply rebound from each
other unchanged
3. A collision in which the reactant molecules are poorly oriented has little
effect. The colliding molecules rebound without reacting
c. Activation Energy
i. Bond breaking is an endothermic process, and bond forming is exothermic
ii. Activation energy (

) is the minimum energy required to transform the

reactants into an activated complex
iii. The difference between the

(reverse reaction) and

(original reaction) is
equal to the energy change in the reaction, E
d. The Activated Complex
i. When molecules collide, some of their high kinetic energy is converted into
internal potential energy within the colliding molecules
1. If enough energy is converted, molecules with suitable orientation
become activated and new bonds can form
ii. During the brief interval of bond breakage and bond formation, the collision
complex is in a transition state
iii. A transitional structure that results from an effective collision and that persists
while old bonds are breaking and new bonds are forming is called an activated
complex
1. Both forward and reverse reactions go through the same activated
complex
iv. Based on the kinetic-molecular theory - the speeds and kinetic energies of
molecules increase as the temperature increases
1. An increase in speed causes more collisions, which can cause an
increase in reactions
2. The collisions between molecules must possess sufficient energy to
form an activated complex or a reaction will not take place
3. the activated complex has partial bonding that is characteristic of both
reactant and product
v. The activated complex, unlike intermediate products, is a very short-lived
molecular complex in which bonds are in the process of being broken and
formed

17.2 Reaction Rate
1. The change in concentration of reactants per unit time as a reaction proceeds is called the
reaction rate
2. The area of chemistry that is concerned with reaction rates and reaction mechanisms is called
chemical kinetics
3. Rate Influencing Factors
a. Five important factors influence the rate of a chemical reaction
i. Nature of Reactants
1. Substances vary greatly in their tendencies to react
2. The rate of reaction depends on the particular reactants and bonds
involved
ii. Surface Area
1. In heterogeneous reactions, the reaction rate depends on the area of
contact of the reaction substances
2. Heterogeneous reactions involve reactants in two different phases and
can occur only when the two phases are in contact
a. An increase in surface area increases the rate of heterogeneous
reactions
iii. Temperature
1. An increase in temperature increases the average kinetic energy of the
particles in a substance
a. This increase in kinetic energy can results in a greater number of
effective collisions when the substance is allowed to react with
another substance, thus increasing the reaction rate
2. A decrease in temperature decreases the average kinetic energy so
there is less collision with less energy, producing fewer effective
collisions
3. Reaction rates of many common reactions roughly double with each
10K (10C) rise in temperature
iv. Concentration
1. In homogeneous reaction systems, reaction rates depend on the
concentration of the reactants
2. An increase in rate is expected if the concentration of one or more of
the reactions is increased
v. Presence of Catalysts
1. A catalyst is a substance that changes the rate of a chemical reaction
without itself being permanently consumed
a. The action of a catalyst is called catalysis
2. A catalyst provides an alternative energy pathway or reaction
mechanism in which the potential-energy barrier between reactants
and products is lowered
3. A catalyst that is in the same phase as all the reactants and products in a
reaction system is called a homogeneous catalyst
4. When its phase is different from that of the reactants, it is called a
heterogeneous catalyst
4. Rate Laws for Reactions
a. An equation that relates reaction rate and concentrations of reactants is called the rate
law for the reaction
b. A rise in temperature increases the reaction rates of most reactions