Textbook pages 272–281

Before You Read

What do you already know about the speed of chemical reactions? Outline your ideas
in the lines below.

What is rate of reaction and how does it apply

to chemical reactions?
Mark the Text
In a chemical reaction, how quickly or slowly reactants
Reinforce Your
turn into products is called the rate of reaction. A reaction Understanding
that takes a long time has a low reaction rate. A reaction As you read the section,
that highlight the main point of
occurs quickly has a high reaction rate. A rate describes each paragraph. Then write
how quickly or slowly a change occurs. Every chemical out an example that helps
reaction proceeds at a definite rate. However, you can speed you explain this main point.
up or slowdown the rate of a chemical reaction.
What factors affect the rate of a chemical reaction?
The four main factors that affect the rate of chemical
reactions are temperature, concentration, surface area, and the
presence of a catalyst.
1. Increasing the temperature causes the particles (atoms
or molecules) of the reactants to move more quickly so that
they collide with each other more frequently and with more
energy. Thus, the higher the temperature, the greater the rate Reading Check
of reaction. If you decrease the temperature, the opposite
How does temperature
effect occurs. The particles move more slowly, colliding affect the rate of a
less frequently and with less energy. In this case, the rate chemical reaction?
of reaction decreases.
2. Concentration refers to how much solute is dissolved
in a solution.
If a greater concentration of reactant atoms and molecules
is present,there is a greater chance that collisions will
occur among them. More collisions mean a higher reaction
rate. Thus, increasing the concentration of the reactants
usually results in a higher reaction rate. At lower
concentrations,
there is less chance for collisions between particles. This
© 2008 McGraw-Hill Ryerson Limited Section 6.2 Factors Affecting the Rate of Chemical Reactions • MHR 113
 Section

Na D
6.2
Summary

continued

means that decreasing the concentrations of the reactants

results in a lower reaction rate.
3. Surface area is the measure of how much area of an
object is exposed.
For the same mass, many small particles have a greater total
surface area than one large particle. For example, steel wool
has a larger surface area than a block of steel of the same
mass. This allows oxygen molecules to collide with many
more iron atoms per unit of time. The more surface contact
between reactants, the higher the rate of reaction. The less
surface contact, the lower the reaction rate.
Surface area can also be important if a reaction occurs
between two liquids that do not mix. In this case, the
reaction occurs only at the boundary where the two liquids
meet. It is also important to note that not all reactions
depend on surface area. If both reactants are gases or liquids
that mix together, then there is no surface, and surface area
is not a factor.
4. A catalyst is a substance that speeds up the rate of a
chemical reaction without being used up in the reaction
itself. Catalysts reduce the amount of energy required to
Reading Check break and form bonds during a chemical reaction. When
Is a catalyst used up in catalysts are
a chemical reaction? used, a reaction can proceed although less energy is added
during the reaction. For example, enzymes are catalysts
that allow chemical reactions to occur at relatively low
temperatures within the body.

114 MHR • Section 6.2 Factors Affecting the Rate of Chemical Reactions © 2008 McGraw-Hill Ryerson Limited
 Cloze Activity
Section 6.2
Na D

Use with textbook pages 272–277.

Rate of chemical reactions

Vocabulary
catalyst energy
catalytic converter heat
collisions rate of reaction
concentration surface area
dilute temperature

Use the terms in the vocabulary box to fill in the blanks. You may use each
term only once.
1. A freshly exposed surface of metallic sodium tarnishes almost instantly if
exposed to air and moisture, while iron will slowly turn to rust under the same
conditions. In these two situations, the rate of reaction refers to how quickly
or slowly reactants turn into products.
2. Adding heat will increase the rate of reaction because this causes the
particles of the reactants to move more quickly, resulting in more collisions and
more energy .
3. Removing heat will lower the temperature, causing the particles of the reactants to
slowdown, resulting in less frequent collisions.
4. concentration refers to how much solute is dissolved in a solution. If there is a
greater concentration of reactant particles present, there is a greater chance that
collisions among them will occur. More collisions mean a higher rate of reaction.
5. A concentrated acid solution will react more quickly than a
dilute acid solution because there are more molecules present, increasing the
chance of collisions.
6. Grains of sugar have a greater surface area than a solid cube of sugar of the
same mass, and therefore will dissolve quicker in water.
7. A catalyst, for example an enzyme, is used to speed up a chemical reaction but
is not used up in the reaction itself.
8. A catalytic converter in a car has metallic catalysts where several
reactions occur. Carbon monoxide, which was produced in the combustion of
gasoline, is changed into carbon dioxide and water in the presence of these
metallic catalysts.

© 2008 McGraw-Hill Ryerson Limited Section 6.2 Factors Affecting the Rate of Chemical Reactions • MHR 115
Na D Comprehension
Section 6.2
Use with textbook pages 272–277.

Different rates of reactions

1. Indicate whether each of the following would increase or decrease the rate of
reaction.
(a) adding heat increase
(b) removing heat deacrease
(c) adding a catalyst increase
(d) diluting a solution deacrease
(e) removing an enzyme deacrease
(f) lowering the temperature deacrease
(g) increasing the temperature increase

(h) decreasing the surface area deacrease

(i) increasing the concentration of a solution deacrease

(j) breaking a reactant down into smaller pieces increase

2. Identify which situation would have a higher reaction rate. Then state the factor
that affected the rate of reaction in each situation.

Situation X Situation Y Situation Factor

with a higher affecting
reaction rate the rate
(X or Y) of
reaction
(a) 1 g of sugar (cubes) 1 g of sugar (grains) Y Surface area

116 MHR • Section 6.2 Factors Affecting the Rate of Chemical Reactions © 2008 McGraw-Hill Ryerson Limited
 Comprehension
Na D Section 6.2

(b) 5O ºC O ºC X Temperature

(c) low number of particles = high number of particles = more Y Concentration

few collisions collisions

(d) enzyme added no enzyme added X Catalyst

(e) twigs logs X Surface area

© 2008 McGraw-Hill Ryerson Limited Section 6.2 Factors Affecting the Rate of Chemical Reactions • MHR 117
 Applying Knowledge
Section 6.2
Na D

Use with textbook pages 272–277.

Four factors affecting the rate of reactions

Use the following graph to answer question 1.
Rate of reaction and changing conditions

Total amount of
product

Time from start of reaction

1. The graph above shows the differences in the rate of reaction at different
temperatures, concentrations, surface area, and the presence or absence of a
catalyst. A steeper line represents a greater rate of reaction. Indicate which
line (X or Y) each of the following are associated with.
(a) lower temperature Y (b) higher temperature X
(c) lower concentration Y (d) higher concentration X

(e) absence of a catalyst Y (f) presence of a catalyst X

(g) larger pieces (small surface area Y
(h) smaller pieces (large surface area) X
2. Which of the four factors affecting reaction rate is most important in each of the
following examples? Choose from concentration, temperature, surface area,
and catalyst.
(a) Raw carrots are cut into thin slices for cooking. Surface area
(b) Protein is broken down in the stomach by the enzyme
pepsin. Catalyst
(c) A woolly mammoth is found, perfectly preserved, near
the Arctic.Temperature
(d) More bubbles appear when a concentrated solution of
hydrochloric acid is added to a magnesium strip than when a dilute
solution of the acid is added. Concentration

118 MHR • Section 6.2 Factors Affecting the Rate of Chemical Reactions © 2008 McGraw-Hill Ryerson Limited
 Assessment
Section 6.2
Na D

Use with textbook pages 272–277. 8. Which of the following are true about
how temperature affects the rate of
Factors affecting the reaction?
rate of chemical
I. heating causes the particles of the
reactions reactants to move more quickly

Match the Term on the left with the best II. lowering the temperature will raise the
Descriptor on the right. Each Descriptor may be energy level of the particles
used only once.
III. increasing the temperature results in
Term Descriptor more collisions between the particles
1. D catalyst A. a measure of how A. I and II only
2. C temperature much area of an
3. A surface area object is exposed B. I and III only
4. B concentration B. the amount of C. II and III only
5. E rate of substance
reaction dissolved in a D. I, II, and III
6. F given volume of 9. Increasing which of the following will
catalytic solution increase the frequency of collisions?
converter C. a measure of the
average kinetic I. temperature
energy of all the
particles in a sample II. surface area
of matter
D. a substance that III. concentration
speeds up the rate of
a chemical reaction A. I and II only
without being used B. I and III only
up itself or changed
E. a measure of how C. II and III only
quickly products D. I, II, and III
form, or given
amounts of 10. Which of the following will lower the
reactants react, in a rate of reaction?
chemical reaction
A. adding an enzyme to the reaction
F. a stainless steel
pollution-control device B. decreasing the temperature from 40˚C
that converts to 10˚C
poisonous gases from
C. breaking a chunk of calcium up into
the
smaller pieces
vehicle’sexhaust
into less harmful D. increasing the amount of solute
substances dissolved in a solution
7. When you walk through a crowded hallway
at school, you are more likely to bump into
another person. To which of the following
factors that affect rate of reaction is this
analogy referring?
A. catalyst C. surface area
B . temperature D.concentration
© 2008 McGraw-Hill Ryerson Limited Section 6.2 Factors Affecting the Rate of Chemical Reactions • MHR 119