Question
From this investigation the student correctly concluded: "As the concentration of sodium thiosulfate solution doubles, the rate of reaction doubles. Explain the student's conclusion in terms of particles.
Answer
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Austin
Veteran · Tutor for 12 years
Answer
The concept being illustrated in the student's conclusion hinges on collision theory. Increasing the concentration of the sodium thiosulfate means there are more particles available to react within the volume of the solution. Consequently, the probability of successful collisions between reactant particles, and thus the rate of reaction, double alongside.
Explanation
The student's conclusion is a fundamental concept in collision theory which states that the rate of a chemical reaction is directly proportional to the concentration of the reactants. In the case of sodium thiosulfate, when the concentration doubles, the number of sodium thiosulfate particles in the same amount of solution also doubles. This increase in the number of particles raises the frequency of collisions between reactant particles. The rate at which these collisions result in a reaction, which is regarded as the reaction rate, hence increases accordingly - in this specific case, it doubles as the more abundant particles lead to a higher frequency of successful collisions.In summary, increasing the concentration of reactant particles increases the chance of successful collisions between reactant particles, leading to a faster rate of reaction.