Enzymes are biological catalysts that speed up the rate of chemical reactions in living organisms. Enzymes are highly specific, meaning that they catalyze only one or a few types of chemical reactions. The mechanism by which enzymes catalyze chemical reactions is through a process called enzyme catalysis. Enzyme catalysis involves several steps: The mechanism by…
Solid catalysts are materials that accelerate chemical reactions by providing a surface for reactant molecules to adsorb onto and react. The activity of a solid catalyst is a measure of how effectively it can promote a particular chemical reaction, while selectivity refers to its ability to selectively form a desired product and minimize the formation…
Catalysis refers to the process in which a catalyst increases the rate of a chemical reaction by providing an alternative pathway with lower activation energy. There are two types of catalysis: homogeneous catalysis and heterogeneous catalysis. Homogeneous catalysis involves a catalyst that is in the same phase (i.e., gas, liquid, or solid) as the reactants.…
The temperature dependence of a chemical reaction’s rate constant can be described by the Arrhenius equation, which relates the rate constant to the temperature and the activation energy of the reaction: k = A * exp(-Ea/RT) where k is the rate constant, A is the pre-exponential factor or frequency factor, Ea is the activation energy,…
The rate of a chemical reaction is the change in the concentration of reactants or products per unit time. The rate law for a chemical reaction describes how the rate of the reaction depends on the concentrations of the reactants. There are different rate laws for different types of reactions, but two common types are…
In physics, half-life refers to the time it takes for half of the atoms in a particular sample of a radioactive substance to decay. This decay process is random and unpredictable, so the half-life of a substance cannot be predicted with certainty. However, for any given substance, the half-life is a constant value, meaning that…
The rate constant, also known as the reaction rate constant, is a proportionality constant that relates the rate of a chemical reaction to the concentrations of the reactants. It is typically denoted by the symbol k and has units of inverse time (e.g., s^-1, min^-1, etc.). The value of the rate constant depends on a…
A rate law is an equation that describes how the rate of a chemical reaction depends on the concentrations of the reactants. It is also known as the rate equation or the rate expression. The general form of a rate law is: Rate = k [A]^m [B]^n Where: The orders m and n are usually…
In chemistry, the order of a reaction refers to the exponent to which the concentration of a reactant is raised in the rate equation of a reaction. The molecularity of a reaction refers to the number of molecules, ions or atoms that participate in the reaction’s rate-determining step. For example, consider the reaction: A +…
Chemical reactions can occur at different rates, depending on several factors such as temperature, concentration of reactants, the presence of a catalyst, surface area of reactants, and the nature of the reactants. The rate of a chemical reaction is defined as the change in concentration of reactants or products per unit time. The rate of…
