How does increasing the pressure affect the reaction rate?

1 Answer
zhirou
May 9, 2018

Increasing the pressure increases the reaction rate (if it's a gaseous reaction).

Explanation:

Collision theory basically says that gaseous chemical reactions happen when reactant molecules collide with enough energy to break their chemical bonds.

When we increase the pressure in a reaction vessel:

  • Particles will be closer together.
  • Gas particles collide with each other more frequently.
  • So, more collisions will happen.
  • Reaction rate is therefore increased, because more particles are colliding to form products.
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