Collision Model: Explanation and Application Research Paper

SAMPLE EXCERPT . . .
At the time of collision, bonds are stretched and broken as new bonds are made. Breaking these bonds and rearranging the atoms during the collision requires the input of energy" (Hutchinson 2006).

Different experimental parameters will thus impact the product of the Arrhenius Equation. For example, the Arrhenius Equation can show the effect of a change of temperature on the "rate constant" and therefore the change in the rate of the reaction (Clark 2002). If the rate constant doubles, the rate of the reaction will likewise double. Also, the equation shows how "a catalyst will provide a route for the reaction with lower activation energy" (Clark 2002). A catalyst is a substance that speeds up a reaction without changing its own substance, lowering the activation energy required for reactions and allowing collisions to be more effective, and more collisions and more reactions. A homogeneous catalyst is present in the same phase as the reacting molecules while a heterogeneous catalyst exists in a different phase then the reacting molecules, such as a solid ("Chemical Kinetics: Chapter 12," AP Chemistry Notes, 2008).

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for only $8.97. Despite its original design to be applied to gaseous substances alone, the Arrhenius Equation's explanation of collision models have been used in a variety of disciplines. For example, in a biology experiment involving collagen shrinkage in which rat tails were used as the test medium, given a "widely investigated property of collagen is its hydrothermal shrinkage," the Arrhenius Equation was used to examine if collagen shrank under different temperatures in a way that substantiated the theory of the "hydrothermal stability of collagen" (Akeson 1963). "Shrinkage curves constructed from data on length of fibers plotted against time at various temperatures clearly establish[ed] that the process of shrinkage of collagen" was "a rate phenomenon and that a true shrinkage temperature does not exist from a thermodynamic point-of-view" (Akeson 1963).

Research Paper on Collision Model: Explanation and Application Assignment

This shows that although originally developed to study gasses, the Arrhenius Equation has a variety of applications in experiments involving rates of reaction and molecular collision. It quantifies what many people have observed anecdotally, namely that the hotter the flame, the more quickly water converts to gas, and salted water comes to a boil more quickly than unsalted water. It also allows for how the presence of catalysts can affect reaction rates. The collision of molecules, and the degree to which molecules will collide all affect reaction rate, and the Arrhenius Equation makes these observations useful to scientists in a predictable way.

Works Cited

Akeson, Wayne H. "Application of the Arrhenius Equation to rat tail tendon collagen."

Nature. 199, 185-186. 13 July 1963. 1 Oct 2008. http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/v199/n4889/abs/199185a0.html

The Arrhenius Equation." IUPAC Compendium of Chemical Terminology. 2nd Edition. 1997.

Oct 2008. http://www.iupac.org/goldbook/A00446.pdf

The Arrhenius Equation." Shordor Education Foundation. Department of Chemistry.

University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill. Sept. 30, 2008. 1 Oct 2008. http://www.shodor.net/unchem/advanced/kin/arrhenius.htm

Clark, Jim. "Rate constants." 2008. 1 Oct 2008. http://www.chemguide.co.uk/physical/basicrates/arrhenius.html

Chemical Kinetics: Chapter 12." AP Chemistry Notes. 1 Oct 2008. www.mpsomaha.org/mnhs/apchem/assignments/Notes/Html%20Notes/notes12.htm

Collision Model." Science Glossary. Answers Corporation, 2006. Answers.com 30 Sep. 2008. http://www.answers.com/topic/collision-model

Keutch, Peter. "Ering Equation." University of Regensburg. 1 Oct 2008. http://www.chemie.uni-regensburg.de/Organische_Chemie/Didaktik/Keusch/eyr-e.htm

Hutchinson, John. "Collision Model for Reaction Rates." General Chemistry. 8 May 2006.

30 Sep. 2008. http://www.vias.org/genchem/reaction_rates_12728_06.html

Reaction rate: Collision Model." Chemistry. 1 Oct 2008. http://www.cartage.org.lb/en/themes/Sciences/Chemistry/Miscellenous/Helpfile/Kinetics/Collisionmodel.htm [END OF PREVIEW] . . . READ MORE