What is activation energy?
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Catalysts can speed up reactions because they can reduce the activation energy of chemical reactions. Explain what is activation energy? Thanks!
Activation energy refers to the energy required to convert all molecules in one mole of reaction substrate from the ground state to the transition state. The ground state refers to the initial state of the molecule, which is also a relatively stable state. The transition state is an extremely unstable state of molecules, in which molecules can easily recombine to form new substances.
Thank you for the explanation, I understand a little bit.
The energy required for a molecule to change from a normal state to an active state prone to chemical reactions is called activation energy.
You can also use this analogy. The boiling point of water is 100 under 1kg pressure. If the pressure is raised again, it will start to vaporize at less than 100 degrees.
It is the minimum energy required for the reaction.
Just like we have to climb a mountain, the activation energy is only different from the height of the mountain. The reaction can only occur when we reach the top of the mountain, and the catalyst reduces the height of the mountain. This is a metaphor, but the specific definition is still the energy required to convert all the molecules in one mole of reaction substrate from the ground state to the transition state.
In chemical reactions, increasing the concentration of reactants is conducive to mutual contact between molecules of various substances and even increases the number of collisions. However, collisions only provide opportunities for chemical reactions, and not every collision can cause a chemical reaction. Collisions that can cause chemical reactions are called effective collisions, and molecules that can produce effective collisions are called activated molecules. Activated molecules have higher energy than ordinary molecules. The difference between the lowest energy of activated molecules and the average energy of ordinary molecules is the activation energy.