Rate of Reaction
Science Practicals: GCSE, topic 2.1.6
Rates of Chemical Reactions
The rate of a chemical reaction tells us how quickly reactants are converted into products. In industry, reaction rates are very important. However, faster reaction rates may not always be better.
Maximum profit
- In industry, making the required amount of product as cheaply as possible maximises all-important profit.
Faster reactions
- Faster reactions are often better as they yield more product in a given amount of time.
Drawbacks
- It may be expensive to generate the conditions for very fast reactions.
- There can be safety concerns associated with very fast reactions.
- Therefore, reaction rates used in industry are the result of a trade-off between speed, cost and safety.
Test yourself on Rate of Reaction
What are the drawbacks of very fast reactions?
What is not a drawback of using very fast reaction rates in industry?
Having drawn a tangent to the curve of a reaction, you work out that the change in y is 14 and the change in x is 4. What is the rate of this reaction?
What are the steps in calculating reaction rates from graphs?