The Effects of Heat on Chemical Reactions
A chemical reaction is when two or more chemical entities interact to produce one single product. One of the most important factors for a chemical reaction to occur is temperature. A chemical reaction needs heat to create the energy that will allow the reactants to react with one another. As a general rule, the more heat and energy used during the reaction, the fast the end product is produced.-
Energy
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Energy must be available to the reactants to form together a product. This energy can be supplied from outside to the chemical reactants in the form of heat energy. When heat is applied to the reactants, they will get an increase in energy. Molecules become more active and therefore collide more to form a product. This is all happens according to the Kinetic Molecular Theory.
Reaction Rate
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When heat is applied to a chemical reaction it increases the reaction rate. The rate of the reaction will increase as the amount of molecular collisions increase. Heat makes the collisions between the reactants more frequent and more violent by providing the reactants with energy. Therefore, the chemical reaction is more likely to occur the more heat or energy the reactants have. According to 800mainstreet.com, the reaction rate doubles for every 10 degrees Kelvin the temperature is increased.
Kinetic Molecular Theory
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The Kinetic Molecular Theory explains why heat causes the reactants to increase their energy and subsequently the reaction rate. According to PSinvention.com, the theory makes three assumptions: all matter is composed of molecules, these molecules are constantly moving and when molecules collide there is no loss of energy. The kinetic energy motion is essentially the same thing as heat. So as you add heat to a chemical reaction, the kinetic energy will increase, making the molecules collide and increasing the reaction rates. Therefore, when the temperature is zero Kelvin, this also means that the velocity of the molecules is zero as well.
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