Introduction to Kinetics

If two molecules have sufficient Kinetic Energy when they collide then a chemical reaction will occur.

This required energy is called the Activation Energy. Not every collision between molecules results a successful reaction, two conditions must be met before the reaction can occur:

• Both particles must have the required Activation Energy (E_ACT).
• Both particles must also have the required alignment.

Factors which influence the rate of a reaction will have an effect on the rate at which molecules collide, or the average energy of the molecules, or both.