Chemical reactions occur when reactants collide. What are two factors that may prevent a collision from producing a chemical reaction?
The correct answer and explanation is :
Two key factors that may prevent a collision from producing a chemical reaction are insufficient energy and incorrect orientation of the reactant molecules.
1. Insufficient Energy (Activation Energy)
For a chemical reaction to occur, reactant molecules must collide with enough energy to break the bonds in the reactants and form new bonds in the products. This required minimum energy is called activation energy. If the molecules collide but do not have sufficient energy to overcome the activation energy barrier, the collision will not result in a chemical reaction.
Think of activation energy as the energy needed to climb a hill. If a reactant molecule lacks enough kinetic energy to reach the top of the activation energy hill, it cannot react and will simply bounce off the other molecule. In such cases, even if the molecules collide, no reaction takes place. Temperature plays a significant role in determining the energy of molecules. A higher temperature increases the kinetic energy of molecules, leading to more successful collisions with the required activation energy.
2. Incorrect Orientation of Reactant Molecules
In addition to sufficient energy, reactant molecules must collide with the correct orientation. When two molecules collide, they must be aligned in such a way that the necessary atoms or bonds interact. If the molecules are not oriented properly during the collision, they will not be able to form the new bonds needed for the chemical reaction, even if the collision has enough energy.
For example, in a reaction where two molecules need to join at specific atoms, if the molecules collide in a way that those atoms are not aligned, no reaction will occur. The concept of orientation is particularly important in complex reactions involving multiple bonds or where specific atoms must come together.
In summary, while collisions are necessary for chemical reactions, they must occur with both sufficient energy to overcome the activation energy and the correct orientation for the reactant molecules to effectively interact and form products. Without these two factors, a collision, no matter how frequent, will not lead to a chemical reaction.