Chemistry › Section L · Kinetics › Topic L.5
Collision theory and activation energy
Molecules in a gas collide billions of times a second, yet most reactions are far slower than that would suggest. Collision theory explains why only a few collisions succeed, and the Arrhenius equation turns that idea into numbers, showing exactly how temperature controls a rate constant.
In this topic
- Why most collisions fail
- The postulates of collision theory
- Orientation matters
- Activation energy and the transition state
- Worked example: reading an energy diagram
- Temperature and the energetic fraction
- Worked example: where the 10-degree rule comes from
- The Arrhenius equation
- Worked example: activation energy from two rate constants
- Common mistakes to avoid
- Key takeaways
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