Why does a higher concentration increase the rate of reaction?
a
It lowers the activation energy.
b
It increases the surface area of the particles
c
It increases the frequency of collisions.
d
It decreases the amount of reactants.
c
It increases the frequency of collisions.
c
It increases the frequency of collisions.
The correct answer is "c) It increases the frequency of collisions."
When the concentration of reactants is increased, there are more particles in a given volume. This leads to an increase in the number of collisions between the reacting particles since there are more particles available to collide with each other.
The rate of a chemical reaction depends on the frequency of collisions between reactant molecules. If the reactant concentration is higher, there will be more collisions happening in a given time. As a result, the rate of reaction increases.
To determine this, one can conduct a controlled experiment by varying the concentration of reactants and measuring the rate of reaction each time. By comparing the results, one can observe that when the concentration is higher, the rate of reaction is also higher. This experimental approach allows scientists to establish the relationship between reactant concentration and the rate of reaction.