If a reaction rate increases with temperature, how will the rate constant of the reaction change with temperature?
A. The rate constant only changes upon addition of a catalyst to the reaction.
B. The rate constant will decrease with temperature.
C. The rate constant will not change with temperature.
D. The rate constant will increase with temperature.
The rate constant will increase with tempature
D. The rate constant will increase with temperature.
The rate constant of a reaction is a proportionality constant that relates the concentration of reactants to the rate of the reaction. It defines the speed of the reaction at a specific temperature.
According to the Arrhenius equation, which describes the relationship between temperature and the rate constant, an increase in temperature leads to an increase in the rate constant. This means that option D, "The rate constant will increase with temperature," is the correct answer.
To understand why the rate constant increases with temperature, we need to consider the effect of temperature on reaction rates. Increased temperature provides more energy to the reacting molecules, which leads to a greater number of collisions and more successful collisions. As a result, the reaction proceeds at a faster rate.
The Arrhenius equation mathematically represents the temperature dependence of the rate constant:
k = A * e^(-Ea/RT)
In this equation, k is the rate constant, A is the pre-exponential factor (related to the frequency of collisions), Ea is the activation energy of the reaction, R is the gas constant, and T is the temperature in Kelvin. As you can see, the rate constant is exponentially dependent on temperature (1/T). As temperature increases, the value of 1/T decreases, leading to an increase in the rate constant.
Therefore, when the reaction rate increases with temperature, the rate constant of the reaction will also increase.