Effect of temperature
The rate of a chemical reaction can be changed by altering the temperature. If the temperature is increased:
- the reactant particles move more quickly
- they have more energy
- there are more successful collisions per unit time
- the rate of reaction increases
Compared to a reaction at a low temperature, the graph line for the same reaction but at a higher temperature:
- has a steeper gradient at the start
- becomes horizontal sooner
This shows that the rate of reaction was greater at the higher temperature.