k and Ea

Arrhenius Equation: $\ln k = - \frac{E_{a}}{RT} + \ln A$

Alexandra Carpenter 1G
Posts: 32
Joined: Sat Jul 22, 2017 3:00 am

k and Ea

Why does the k of a reaction go down when the activation energy goes up?

Minie 1G
Posts: 63
Joined: Fri Sep 29, 2017 7:04 am

Re: k and Ea

you can think about it this way... the equilibrium constant k is basically products/reactants. If the activation energy is super high, then it's harder to form products since we have to first overcome this barrier. So when the numerator is smaller, k is smaller.

Jason Liu 1C
Posts: 52
Joined: Fri Sep 29, 2017 7:04 am

Re: k and Ea

The larger the value of k is, the faster the rate. If Ea is large, more energy is required for the reaction to occur, which means the rate will be slower. If the rate is slower, k will be smaller.

aaron tang 2K
Posts: 49
Joined: Thu Jul 27, 2017 3:01 am

Re: k and Ea

k is small because if the activation energy is high, it will be harder for the reaction to produce products

Angel R Morales Dis1G
Posts: 50
Joined: Sat Jul 22, 2017 3:01 am

Re: k and Ea

You can see the relationship by looking at the equation: k=Ae^(-Ea/RT); an e to a small number will give you a small k, whereas an e to a big number will give you a large k. In other words, the bigger Ea is, the smaller the value of k will be and vice versa.

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