Question

question 10 (1 point)
why does the rate of reaction increase with increasing temperature?
the activation energy decreases as the temperature increases.
changing the temperature usually alters the reaction mechanism, similar to the effect of a catalyst.
the change in temperature reduces the overall potential energy change between reactants and products.
a greater proportion of all the molecules possess kinetic energy that is equal to or greater than the activation energy.
hotter molecules stick together better.

Explanation:

According to the collision theory, for a reaction to occur, molecules must collide with sufficient energy (activation energy). When temperature increases, the average kinetic energy of molecules rises. This means a greater proportion of molecules have kinetic energy equal to or greater than the activation energy. As a result, there are more effective collisions per unit time, increasing the reaction rate.
Activation energy is a characteristic of the reaction and is not changed by temperature (so the first option is wrong). Temperature change does not alter the reaction mechanism like a catalyst (second option wrong). The overall potential energy change (\(\Delta H\)) between reactants and products is a thermodynamic property and is not affected by temperature in the way described in the third option. Molecules do not "stick together better" at higher temperatures in the context of reaction rate increase (last option wrong).

Answer:

A greater proportion of all the molecules possess kinetic energy that is equal to or greater than the activation energy.