Drawing Reaction Profiles

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

Paula Dowdell 1F
Posts: 72
Joined: Tue Nov 15, 2016 3:00 am

Drawing Reaction Profiles

How do we draw a reaction profile? (For example the one in problem 15.89)
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Posts: 30
Joined: Fri Sep 29, 2017 7:05 am

Re: Drawing Reaction Profiles

You would make a table like the ones that were drawn in lecture. Energy is the y-axis and the progress of the reaction is the x-axis. You would start with the reactants and draw the energy barrier(s) and then end with the products, most often with a lower energy than the reactants

Paula Dowdell 1F
Posts: 72
Joined: Tue Nov 15, 2016 3:00 am

Re: Drawing Reaction Profiles

How do you know how big the energy barrier is going to be, besides by knowing which step is slow (which makes the energy barrier largest for the slow step).

diangelosoriano
Posts: 49
Joined: Fri Sep 29, 2017 7:07 am

Re: Drawing Reaction Profiles

The energy barrier will be steeper corresponding to a slow step, a smaller barrier would correspond to a fast step.