Reaction Profile

[Ivan Tadeja 1G]

For outline 6, chemical kinetics, one of the things we should be able to do is interpret/draw a reaction profile. Can somebody please give a step by step on how exactly reaction profiles are made, where they come from, and what they show us?

[005290099]

Reaction profiles are constructed by comparing the initial potential energy of a reactants and the final potential energy of the products. These profiles are represented in the form of graphs that plot the energetic trajectory of a reaction. The graph will also include an activation energy hump. These profiles can show us whether or not a reaction is endothermic or exothermic depending on how the potential energy changes along the reaction.

[Nico Medina]

I was wondering this too, thanks for the help!

[arisawaters2D]

Is the reaction "hump" the same as the energy barrier?

[Joshua Eidam 2A]

Is the reaction "hump" the same as the energy barrier?

Yes I believe so. I am not sure if I have heard the term reaction "hump" but it sounds pretty intuitive. The reaction barrier is that little (or big) hill in the reaction profile that the reaction has to get over when beginning the reaction. Another word for it is the activation energy.

[Eric Cruz 2G]

I believe the reaction relates to the diagram for elementary steps. There is a large hump for steps that are slow and smaller humps for fast reactions as they occur quickly