What is a homogeneous catalyst?
Catalysts speed up reactions by providing an alternative pathway for the reaction with a lower activation energy, Ea, and the
Category: Physical chemistry
How does electromagnetic radiation affect molecules?
The energy of molecules is quantised just as it is in atoms. When a molecule absorbs a photon of electromagnetic
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Explaining the electrolysis of molten ionic salts
Electrolysis is a non-spontaneous chemical process powered by electrical energy. The reactions happening at the electrodes in the electrolysis of
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Reaction mechanisms, intermediates and the rate determining step
There are many reactions which happen as the stoichiometric (chemical) equation would suggest … e.g. the reaction between chlorine radicals
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Using the Arrhenius equation to find the activation energy for a reaction
For almost all reactions there is an energy barrier to overcome – this is known as the activation energy, Ea,
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Differential and integrated rate equations for first order reactions
The decomposition of dinitrogen pentoxide is a first order reaction . 2N2O5(g) ⇾ 4NO2(g) + O2(g) The rate of the
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Half life and first order reactions
All first order reactions have a constant half life, t½, which means that the time taken for the concentration of
What is a clock reaction?
A clock reaction can be used to measure the rate of reaction in certain circumstances. In a typical reaction the
Using colorimetry to follow the rate of a reaction
We can use a colorimeter to follow the rate of a reaction if one of the reactants or products is
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Determining orders of reaction and a rate equation from experimental data
In order to write a rate equation (rate law) for a reaction we need to know the orders of reaction
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