HOMEWORK REACTION KINETICS DUE DATE: 12/04/12 (Thursday)

Question 1 a) Explain why most collisions in a reaction mixture do not result in a reaction. (2) b) How can the collision frequency between molecules in a gas be increased without changing the temperature? (1) c) Why can a small increase in temperature lead to a large increase in the rate of a reaction? (3) Question 2 Sketch the reaction profile for a reaction taking place with a catalyst given that: The reaction is endothermic The activation energy for the formation of an intermediate is higher than the activation energy for the conversion of the intermediate to the products. (3)

Question 3 a) Sketch a graph, with labeled axes, to show the Boltzmann distribution of the energies of the reactant molecules. (3)

b) On the energy axis mark plausible values for the activation energy of a reaction without a catalyst and the activation energy with a catalyst. (2)

c) Use your graph to explain why a catalyst speeds up the rate of reaction. (3)

(3)