Why is the minimum energy needed for an effective collision?
a. enough energy is needed to give off heat ina reaction.
b. energy is needed to break bonds.
c. a minimum energy is needed, so that theparticles will collide many times per second.
d. energy is needed to orient the particlescorrectly
Answer:
b. energy is needed to break bonds.
Discussion:
During most chemical reactions, the goal is for the colliding molecules to interact and form new bonds, leading to the creation of new products.
However, before new bonds can form, existing bonds within the reacting molecules often need to be broken.
This process of breaking bonds requires energy. If the collision between molecules is too gentle (low energy), the combined energy won’t be sufficient to overcome the forces holding the existing bonds together.
In such cases, the molecules simply bounce off each other (elastic collision) and no reaction occurs.
The minimum energy needed for an effective collision is often referred to as activation energy.
Collisions with energy equal to or greater than the activation energy can potentially lead to a successful reaction where bonds break and new ones form.