The effect of temperature on the rate constant is that the rate constant increases with increasing temperature. This is because higher temperatures result in a larger proportion of particles having energy greater than or equal to the activation energy. As a result, there are more successful collisions between reactant particles, thus the reaction rate increases. This relationship is quantitatively described by the Arrhenius equation:
k=Ae−EaRTk=Ae^{-\frac{E_a}{RT}}k=Ae−RTEa
where:
- kkk is the rate constant,
- AAA is the Arrhenius constant (related to collision frequency),
- EaE_aEa is the activation energy,
- RRR is the gas constant,
- TTT is the temperature in Kelvin.
In practical terms, the rate constant approximately doubles when the temperature is increased by about 10°C, though this can vary depending on the reaction. The exponential form of the Arrhenius equation explains why the rate constant increases more rapidly at higher temperatures. Thus, an increase in temperature increases the value of the rate constant exponentially due to a greater fraction of molecules exceeding the activation energy threshold, leading to faster reaction rates.
