// FIELD GUIDE 09 — LEVEL L3 (GCSE / NATIONAL 5)
Rates of reaction
Reactions need particles to actually collide, hard enough, in the right direction. Change how often and how hard that happens, and you change the rate. Turn the dials below and watch a flask of fizzing acid react.
// FIG. 01 — MARBLE CHIPS + ACID (COLLISION-THEORY SIM)
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// L3 — COLLISION THEORY
For a reaction to happen, particles must collide with enough energy — the activation energy — and in the right orientation. More collisions, or harder collisions, means a faster rate.
Concentration ↑
More particles packed into the same space means collisions happen more often.
Temperature ↑
Particles move faster, so collisions are both more frequent and more energetic — this is the biggest lever of the three.
Surface area ↑
Crushing a solid into powder exposes far more of it to collide with — same mass, much faster reaction.
// REFERENCES & FURTHER READING
Cross-check against your own exam board's specification (AQA, Edexcel, OCR, SQA).