Work through the list without notes. If you cannot do a statement, follow its link, then come back. Guide = study guide; Practice = practice questions.
Understanding
- I can explain why reactant particles must collide before bonds can break and form. (Guide: “No collision, no reaction”)
- I can state the two conditions a collision must meet to produce products: energy at least Eₐ and a suitable orientation. (Guide: “What makes a collision successful”; Practice Q1)
- I can explain why only a small fraction of collisions succeed in most reactions. (Guide: Figure 1; Practice Q1)
- I can describe the shape of a Maxwell–Boltzmann curve and say what its total area and the area beyond Eₐ represent. (Guide: “The Maxwell–Boltzmann distribution”; Practice Q3)
Skills
- I can sketch Maxwell–Boltzmann curves for one sample at two temperatures, with the higher-temperature peak lower and further right, and mark Eₐ. (Guide: Figure 2; Practice Q6)
- I can predict how a change in concentration changes the rate of an elementary step, and calculate the new rate. (Guide: Worked example 1; Practice Q2, Q5)
- I can decide which orientation of a collision can form the new bonds a step needs. (Guide: Figure 1; Practice Q4)
Reasoning
- I can explain a change in rate with concentration in terms of collision frequency, and say why the fraction of successful collisions is unchanged. (Practice Q5)
- I can explain why a temperature rise increases rate, naming the larger fraction of collisions with energy ≥ Eₐ as the main cause. (Guide: Worked example 2; Practice Q6)
- I can evaluate a claim about rate using data on collision frequency and energy fraction. (Practice Q6)
- I can explain how a step with a lower Eₐ can still be slower, using orientation. (Practice Q7)
All ticked? Move on to Topic 5.6, Reaction Energy Profile, or return to the course roadmap.