Effect of temperature and catalyst on the reaction rate

At the end of this activity, students should be able to:
– explain how and why reaction rates depend on temperature
– describe the distribution of molecular energies in gases and liquids
– discuss why controlling the temperature of chemical reactions is important
– define a catalyst and inhibitors
– explain how catalysts work, using the activation energy concept
– describe the catalytic activity of metals
– elicit information about reaction rates from potential energy diagrams and the Maxwell–Boltzmann distribution curve.