Chapter 11, Problem 11.ACP

(Section 11-5) A rule of thumb is that for a typical reaction, if concentrations are unchanged, a 10-K rise in temperature increases the reaction rate by two to four times. Use an average increase of three times to answer the questions below.

1. (a) What is the approximate activation energy of a “typical” chemical reaction at 298 K?
2. (b) If a catalyst increases a chemical reaction’s rate by providing a mechanism that has a lower activation energy, then what change do you expect a 10-K increase in temperature to make in the rate of a reaction whose uncatalyzed activation energy of 75 kJ/mol has been lowered to one half this value (at 298 K) by addition of a catalyst?