A rise of 10 degrees Celsius roughly doubles the rate of many reactions mainly because
- A. the activation energy of the reaction falls
- B. the concentration of the reactants increases
- C. the molecules become larger
- D. a much larger fraction of molecules acquire energy equal to or above the activation energy
Explanation
The Maxwell Boltzmann distribution shifts to the right on heating, and because the activation energy lies out in the tail of the curve, even a small temperature rise multiplies the number of molecules beyond it. The increase in collision frequency is real but accounts for only a few per cent of the effect. Activation energy itself is a property of the reaction and is not changed by heating.