How can the rate of reaction be decreased?
1 Answer
There are a few ways to decrease the rate of reaction which I shall mention.
Perhaps the most obvious answer is to decrease the temperature of the reaction: this slows down the particles and, thus, reduces the likelihood of successful collisions between the reactant particles.
You could also use a larger lump of solid in your reaction (if your reaction includes a solid) - this decreases the overall surface area exposure. If you were to cut the solid into smaller pieces, more surface area would be exposed and, therefore, the rate would increase.
Remember:
Small chunks -> Larger surface area
Large chunks -> Smaller surface area
You can also decrease the concentration of any liquids in your reaction - Two mole concentration will react faster than a 0.6 mole concentration, for example.
