Why does increasing temperature increase the rate of reaction?
Increasing temperature increases the rate of reaction because the particles move faster, so they collide more often and more of the collisions have enough energy to react.
GCSE Chemistry
Written & reviewed by James Millett — Biology (Imperial College London), PGCE Science (University of Cambridge).
In more detail
At a higher temperature the particles have more kinetic energy and move faster. This means they collide more frequently. More importantly, a greater proportion of collisions have energy equal to or greater than the activation energy, so a larger fraction of collisions are successful. Both effects increase the rate, but the increase in the energy of collisions is the more significant factor.
Key points for the exam
- Particles move faster → more frequent collisions.
- A greater proportion of collisions exceed the activation energy.
- More successful collisions per second → faster rate.
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