For the chemical reaction CH3Br + OH- CH3OH + Br-, which of the following would speed up the reaction?
increasing the CH3Br concentration
reducing the OH concentration
cooling the reactant mixture
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reducing the pressure of the reactant mixture
You can change the rate of the reaction by increasing OH or CH3Br (will increase rate) or decreasing OH or CH3Br (will decrease rate).
Cooling the reaction mixture will decrease the rate; increasing T will increase rate.
To determine which factor would speed up the chemical reaction CH3Br + OH- → CH3OH + Br-, we can consider the reaction mechanism.
In this case, the reaction is a nucleophilic substitution reaction, in which the OH- ion attacks the carbon in CH3Br, resulting in the formation of CH3OH and Br- ions.
Based on this information, reducing the OH- concentration would speed up the reaction, as there would be a higher likelihood of collision between the OH- and CH3Br molecules, increasing the chances of a successful reaction.
So, out of the options provided, reducing the OH- concentration would speed up the reaction.
To determine which factor would speed up the chemical reaction CH3Br + OH- -> CH3OH + Br-, we need to consider the concept of reaction rates. The rate of a chemical reaction is the speed at which the reactants are consumed and the products are formed.
In general, there are several factors that can influence the rate of a reaction, including concentration, temperature, pressure, and catalysts. Let's analyze each option and see how it affects the reaction rate:
1. Increasing the CH3Br concentration:
According to the law of mass action, the rate of a reaction is directly proportional to the concentrations of the reactants. By increasing the concentration of CH3Br, we provide more reactant molecules that can collide with the OH- ions. This collision increases the likelihood of successful collisions and thus promotes the reaction rate. Therefore, increasing the CH3Br concentration would speed up the reaction.
2. Reducing the OH concentration:
Similar to the previous case, reducing the concentration of OH- decreases the number of OH- ions available for collision with CH3Br. As a result, the rate of the reaction decreases, and the reaction takes longer to complete. Therefore, reducing the OH concentration would slow down the reaction, not speed it up.
3. Cooling the reactant mixture:
According to the Arrhenius equation, the rate of a reaction generally increases with temperature. At higher temperatures, the molecules have more kinetic energy, resulting in more frequent and energetic collisions. Cooling the reactant mixture, on the other hand, decreases the kinetic energy of the molecules, leading to a decrease in the reaction rate. Therefore, cooling the reactant mixture would slow down the reaction, not speed it up.
4. Reducing the pressure of the reactant mixture:
The given reaction does not involve any gaseous reactants or products, so the pressure of the reaction mixture does not affect the reaction rate. Therefore, reducing the pressure of the reactant mixture would not have any impact on the speed of the reaction.
To summarize, the factor that would speed up the reaction CH3Br + OH- -> CH3OH + Br- is increasing the CH3Br concentration.