ArrheniusLaw

The Arrhenius equation is a formula that describes the temperature dependence of the rate of a chemical reaction. It was proposed by Swedish chemist Svante Arrhenius in 1889. The equation states that the rate constant, k, of a chemical reaction is proportional to the exponential of the negative of the activation energy, Ea, divided by the product of the gas constant, R, and the temperature, T.

The mathematical form of the Arrhenius equation is: k = A * exp(-Ea / (RT))

Here, A is the pre-exponential factor or frequency factor, which represents the frequency of collisions between reactant molecules. Ea is the activation energy, which is the minimum energy required for a reaction to occur. R is the ideal gas constant, and T is the absolute temperature in Kelvin.

The Arrhenius equation highlights that reaction rates increase with temperature. As temperature rises, the kinetic energy of molecules increases, leading to more frequent and more energetic collisions. This results in a greater proportion of collisions having sufficient energy to overcome the activation energy barrier and proceed to form products.

The equation is widely used in chemical kinetics to study reaction mechanisms, predict reaction rates at different temperatures, and determine activation energies from experimental data. By plotting the natural logarithm of the rate constant against the reciprocal of the temperature, a straight line is obtained, the slope of which is -Ea/R, allowing for the calculation of the activation energy.