Year 11 - Science
Collision theory
Rate of reaction
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This pupil-friendly study guide includes a unit summary, clear notes, common mistakes, and quick questions with answers.
Unit Summary
This unit explores factors influencing reaction rates, including temperature, concentration, surface area, and catalysts. It covers using models and theories to develop hypotheses, planning and conducting experiments safely, selecting appropriate techniques, and presenting and translating data.
Lesson Summary
You will learn to explain why increasing pressure, surface area or concentration increases the frequency of collisions between particles and therefore the rate of reaction.
Key Notes
- Particles of reactants in a chemical reaction can react together if they collide with sufficient energy.
- Increasing surface area of a solid lets more reacting particles in a solution collide with its particles each second.
- Increasing concentration of a reacting solution introduces more reactant particles, so they collide more frequently.
- Increasing temperature of reactants increases the speed of particles, so they collide more frequently.
- Increasing pressure of reacting gases pushes reactant particles closer together, so they collide more frequently.
Vocabulary To Learn
- collision theory: The collision theory is that particles must collide, and with sufficient energy, in order to react.
- activation energy: The minimum energy that the particles must have in order to react is known as the activation energy.
- rate of reaction: Rate of reaction is the speed with which a chemical reaction takes place, measured by the amount of a reactant used or amount of product formed in a given time.
Common Mistakes To Avoid
- That every collision between reactant particles results in a chemical reaction.
3 Quick Questions (With Answers)
1. Explain the scientific idea in this lesson using two key points.
Particles of reactants in a chemical reaction can react together if they collide with sufficient energy. Increasing surface area of a solid lets more reacting particles in a solution collide with its particles each second.
2. Define this scientific word and use it in context. 'collision theory'
The collision theory is that particles must collide, and with sufficient energy, in order to react. Include the word in a full scientific explanation, not as a single label.
3. Correct this common scientific misunderstanding.
Mistake: That every collision between reactant particles results in a chemical reaction. Correction: The slide deck addresses that not every collision between reactant particles results in a chemical reaction. The particles must collide with the activation energy in order for the collision to be successful and a new product be formed.
More Lessons In This Unit
- Appropriate equipment for measuring the rate of a reaction Study Guide
- Catalysts and rate Study Guide
- Concentration and rate: analysis Study Guide
- Concentration and rate: practical using end point method Study Guide
- Concentration and rate: practical using gas collection method Study Guide
- Evaluating methods for measuring the rate of reaction Study Guide
- Surface area and rate: analysis Study Guide
- Surface area and rate: practical Study Guide
- Temperature and rate: practical Study Guide
- The rate of a chemical reaction: including graphs Study Guide
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