- No particle has zero energy
- Most particles have intermediate energies (displayed around the peak of the curve)
- Few particles have very high energies (displayed on the right-hand side of the curve)
- The average energy is not the same as the most probable energy
Maxwell Boltzmann graph
- The number of molecules in a gas with different kinetic energies is displayed on a Maxwell Boltzmann graph
- To the left of the graph is all of the molecules that are slow moving
- At the peak of the graph, is the most common amount of molecules which are at an average speed of movement
- To the right are the molecules that are fast moving
- Past the activation energy line is all of the molecules which are moving fast enough for them to react
Effect of Temperature
- Increasing the temperature of a gas will thus give each molecule more kinetic energy
- The result of this is more particles will have the minimum activation energy and be able to react successfully
- The Maxwell Boltzmann graph moves to the right as there are more molecules with more kinetic energy
- As more molecules would have successfully collided, more molecules after the activation energy (Ea) mark will be present in the high temperature compared to the lower temperature
Effect of Concentration
- Increasing the concentration of reactants in a given solution will result in there being more particles in a closer proximity to one another
- As the particles are closer together there is an increased chance of collisions, and therefore more particles can react
- If the reaction is a gas, increasing the pressure of the gas results in the same effect. Raising the pressure causes the particles to be closer together, increasing the number in a given volume.
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