CAIE A Level Chemistry 9701 · Reaction kinetics
A reaction has an activation energy of 80 kJ mol⁻¹. At 300 K, only a small fraction of molecules have energy greater than this value. At 350 K, the rate of the reaction is significantly faster.
Compare the Boltzmann distributions at 300 K and 350 K, and use this comparison to explain why the rate is faster at 350 K. In your answer, refer to the activation energy and to effective collisions.
6 marks, so the mark scheme is looking for about 6 separate creditworthy points. Making the same point twice in different words earns it once.
Compare means: Give similarities or differences between two things, and say which side each point belongs to. Write each point as a pair, for example: A is X, whereas B is Y. Two separate descriptions rarely earn the marks.
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