Threshold and activation energy

[205389184]

Why is the threshold energy greater than the activation energy?

[Maya Pakulski 1D]

Threshold energy is the energy needed to make effective collisions while activation energy is the energy needed to make these collisions even occur. A molecule normally doesn't have enough threshold energy to make this occur so it needs activation energy to start these collisions.

[Katherine Brenner 3H]

So a molecule uses activation energy to start making collisions but runs out of energy and thus uses threshold energy?

[Amy Pham 1D]

Activation energy is the energy difference between reactants and products in a chemical reaction (energy needed to make the reaction occur), while threshold energy is the energy required for reactants to undergo successful collisions (existing kinetic energy + activation energy). Thus, threshold energy is greater than activation energy.