Collision theory explains why chemical reactions occur and their rate. Molecules must collide with enough energy and in the correct orientation for a reaction to occur. Activation energy is required, and physical factors like concentration and temperature can increase successful collisions.
In chemistry, collision theory provides an explanation of why certain chemical reactions occur and also why the rate of these reactions is different depending on which reaction is taking place. In 1916 and 1918, Max Trautz and William Lewis invented the collision theory to explain chemical reactions. They found that for a chemical reaction to occur, the molecules had to collide and also that there had to be enough energy for the reaction to proceed.
During a chemical reaction, substrate molecules interact to form new products. While there are many different types of chemical reactions, the substrate molecules must come into contact with each other if a reaction is to occur. Collision theory states that if substrate molecules collide, a chemical reaction could occur, although the collision alone is no guarantee of a subsequent reaction.
Molecules collide all the time, but chemical reactions don’t always occur. Collision theory states that there are specific factors that determine whether or not a chemical reaction will occur. The two main factors considered by this theory are the orientation of the molecules when they collide and also the resulting amount of energy.
When two molecules collide, the orientation of each molecule matters. All molecules have a specific shape, so how they collide affects whether or not they react. If the molecules aren’t aligned properly, they can bounce off each other. On the other hand, if the molecules are oriented so that the active areas line up, then a chemical reaction can occur as long as the second requirement of the collision theory is met.
In addition to causing molecules to collide in a specific way, collision theory states that a certain amount of energy is required for the chemical reaction to occur. This energy is referred to as the activation energy and different amounts of energy are required for different reactions. If the energy produced by the collision is less than the required activation energy, the chemical reaction will not occur. The reason activation energy is needed is that the chemical bonds within the substrate molecules must be broken.
Certain physical factors can cause an increase in the number of successful collisions to occur. As the concentration, or number, of substrate molecules increases, there is a greater chance that the molecules will collide in the correct orientation. Furthermore, increasing the temperature of the solution containing both molecules leads to an increase in the energy with which the molecules collide. This means that there is a greater chance that the activation energy threshold will be reached or exceeded.
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