Notes on Notes

Happy Tuesday Everyone!

Today, we took the allll the notes we neglected to take on Friday or Monday. The topics were collision theory, reaction mechanisms, reaction rate and factors affecting reaction rate. I give a short summary of each of them below, but you can find the real notes at http://GBS-Moodle.glenbrook225.org/moodle/mod/resource/view.php?id=86333

Collision Theory

When a reaction takes place, it is because molecules collide with each other at 1) the right speed and 2) the right orientation. The "activated complex" is this transition stage between reactants and products during a reaction. The "right speed" is otherwise none as the activation energy.

Reaction Mechanisms

A reaction does not happen all in one go; a series of steps makes a reaction happen. The "crash" happens, and then the old bonds break to form new bonds. The overall reaction, called the complex reaction, given on paper is just the end result, and many elementary or intermediate steps are taken to get there. 

Reaction Rate

This is a measure of how quickly the reactants in a reaction become products, or how much reactant is used over time. We will calculate this in units of molarity (mol/liter) per any unit of time (seconds, minutes, etc). The elementary steps of the reaction all have different required activation energies, and the step with the highest activation energy will take the longest to complete. This is called the rate-determining step, because it will be the factor that affects the speed of the reaction.

Factors Affecting Reaction Rate

Factors include: an increase in temperature, an increase in concentration (molarity), an increase in surface area, and the addition of a catalyst. A catalyst lowers the activation energy of certain slow elementary steps and can also provide different paths for a reaction to take, making it go faster.

Homework:

Check the answers to the equilibrium packet assigned yesterday (http://GBS-Moodle.glenbrook225.org/moodle/mod/resource/view.php?id=86334)

2 WebAssigns are due on Wednesday by 11:59 pm