Arrhenius Equation

Definition

The Arrhenius equation is a formula that calculates the temperature dependence of reaction rates. It was proposed by Svante Arrhenius in 1889 and it expresses the rate constant (k) as k=Ae^(-Ea/RT), where A is the pre-exponential factor, Ea is the activation energy, R is the gas constant, and T is the absolute temperature.

Related terms

Activation Energy (Ea): The minimum amount of energy required for a chemical reaction to occur.

Rate Constant (k): A proportionality constant in the rate law that relates the rate of a reaction to the concentrations of reactants.

Pre-exponential Factor (A): A term in Arrhenius equation which represents frequency factor or total number of collisions occurring per second.