connect each of these circumstances to the rate of a reaction. Explain how the change in circumstances could be implemented in a lab and describe the predicted outcome:

Question

1: Increased temperature 

2: Decreased solution concentration 

3: increased surface area

4: speeding up the reaction without being involved in the reaction 

Answer 1

1: Increased temperature - depending on whether the reaction is endothermic or exothermic, increasing the temperature can increase or decrease the rate of reaction, respectively. This can be accomplished by supplying heat.

2: Decreased solution concentration - depending on the order of reaction with respect to the particular reactant, decreasing the concentration can have no effect (if zero order), or will reduce the rate of reaction if the order is other than zero. This can be accomplished by simply adding a lower concentration of the reactant of interest while maintaining all others constant.

3: increased surface area - this will, in general, increase the rate of reaction. This can be accomplished by pulverizing or grinding the reactant material, or by some other means of exposing a larger surface area.

4: speeding up the reaction without being involved in the reaction - this will obviously speed up the rate of reaction and can be accomplished by adding a catalyst, which by definition, increases the rate of reaction without being used up during the reaction.