The main reason for the increase in reaction rate with temperature is that:
The activation energy increases rapidly with temp (I think it is this one)
A 10 C temp rise results in the rate doubling
heats acts as a catalyst
or
The fraction of high-energy molecules increases experimentally with temp
Ooops, sorry Linda.
I would go with the higher fraction.
On a 10.5 ounce bag of potato chips, the manufacturer states that the single serving is one ounce, which is equivalent to 150 calories. How many kilojoules are in this bag of potato chips?
Is it 6.898 kJ?
The main reason for the increase in reaction rate with temperature is that the activation energy decreases with an increase in temperature, not the other way around. This means that at higher temperatures, more particles have enough energy to overcome the activation energy barrier and participate in the reaction.
To understand this concept, we need to understand what activation energy is. Activation energy is the minimum amount of energy required for a chemical reaction to occur. It acts as a barrier that separates the reactants from the products. Only particles with enough energy to overcome this barrier can react and form products.
As the temperature increases, the distribution of kinetic energies among the particles changes. A higher temperature leads to a greater proportion of molecules having kinetic energies equal to or greater than the activation energy. This results in a higher fraction of molecules with enough energy to overcome the activation energy barrier and participate in the reaction. Therefore, the reaction rate increases with temperature.
So the correct answer to your question is that the fraction of high-energy molecules increases experimentally with temperature, leading to a higher reaction rate.