What is the effect of temperature on a chemical reactions speed? The temperature can affect the rate of chemical reactions by making molecules move faster. This increases the chance that they will collide and react. The average kinetic energies of molecules are also increased by increasing the temperature. The reactant particles have to collide in order for a chemical reactions to take place. At the lower temperatures, only a few molecules possess the minimum amount kinetic energy required to activate the reaction. The minimum amount of energy is available in more molecules at higher temperatures.
Increased temperature will increase the number of effective collisions — collisions which transfer enough kinetic energy to trigger a chemical reaction. All molecules do not move with the same energy at a certain temperature. Some molecules move very slowly (low kinetic energies), and others very quickly (high kinetic energies). The vast majority are between the two extremes. Temperature is an indicator of average kinetic energy. The temperature curve in the figure shows that as the temperature rises, the average kinetic is increased. The reactants need to collide in the reactive area, but must also transfer energy so that new bonds are formed. In the absence of enough energy to break bonds, no reaction will occur. This isn’t true for lower temperatures.
A reaction can only occur when reactant particle collide at a high enough energy. A rise in temperature, concentrations of reactants and pressures of gaseous reaction agents will increase the rate at which a chemical reaction occurs. These changes are explained by the success rate of collisions. It is necessary that the particles colliding have sufficient energy to cause a successful collision. The rate at which a reaction occurs depends on how often particles collide successfully. The faster a reaction is, the more collisions that are successful.