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The Problem: I am going to find out how temperature can affect the rate of reaction.



Background information:



Factors that change the rates of reactions are:

· Temperature – an increase in temperature will make the reaction occur faster. This happens because the particles of that substance move faster when it is heated. Because the particles move faster, they would collide more, making the reaction rate faster.

· Concentration – the increase in concentration, the greater and faster the reaction. This is because if the solution is more concentrated, it will increase the number of molecular collisions.

· Surface area: if the solid reactant is crushed up into smaller pieces, it will increase the total surface area, which means there are more particles to react with the other reactant in the solution.

· Catalyst: this is a substance which increases the speed of a reaction, without being changed or used up in the reaction.



For a chemical reaction to take place, some bonds in the reactants must be broken. The colliding particles must have enough energy to break these bonds. This minimum amount of energy is called the activation energy. Only the very fastest moving particles have enough energy to break bonds.



In gases, liquids and in solution, the particles move at a range of speeds. Some are moving very slowly and others are moving very fast. To react, particles must collide with enough energy and in the correct orientation for bonds to be broken.



(The information above is from research I have done from the Internet, revision book and from my own knowledge)



Prediction: My prediction for this investigation is the higher the temperature, the faster the reaction. This is because the atoms will move faster and that will cause the particles to collide...