The equation below shows a reaction that produces calcium carbonate.
[tex]Ca(OH)_2(s)+CO_2(g) \rightarrow CaCO_3(s)+H_2 O(l)[/tex]
Which describes a way to speed up the collisions between calcium hydroxide and carbon dioxide molecules to produce calcium carbonate faster?
A. Lower the temperature.
B. Use larger pieces of calcium hydroxide.
C. Lower the pressure.
D. Reduce the volume of the container.
Answer (2)
Lowering the temperature slows down the reaction.
Using larger pieces of calcium hydroxide decreases the surface area and slows down the reaction.
Lowering the pressure decreases the concentration of C O 2 and slows down the reaction.
Reducing the volume increases the concentration of C O 2 and speeds up the reaction.
Therefore, the answer is reducing the volume of the container. R e d u ce t h e v o l u m eo f t h eco n t ain er .
Explanation
Understanding the Reaction We are given a chemical reaction: C a ( O H ) 2 ( s ) + C O 2 ( g ) i g h t ha r p oo n u pC a C O 3 ( s ) + H 2 O ( l ) . The question asks which of the given options will speed up the reaction.
Analyzing the Options Let's analyze each option:
Lowering the temperature: Lowering the temperature generally slows down reaction rates because the molecules have less kinetic energy, leading to fewer effective collisions.
Using larger pieces of calcium hydroxide: Using larger pieces decreases the surface area of the solid reactant ( C a ( O H ) 2 ), which reduces the number of collisions between the reactants and slows down the reaction.
Lowering the pressure: Lowering the pressure decreases the concentration of the gaseous reactant ( C O 2 ), leading to fewer collisions and a slower reaction.
Reducing the volume of the container: Reducing the volume increases the concentration of the gaseous reactant ( C O 2 ), leading to more frequent collisions and a faster reaction.
Conclusion Based on the analysis, reducing the volume of the container will speed up the reaction.
Examples
Consider a crowded room. If you reduce the size of the room, the people inside will bump into each other more often. Similarly, in a chemical reaction, reducing the volume increases the concentration of the reactants, causing them to collide more frequently and react faster. This principle is used in industrial processes to optimize reaction rates and improve efficiency.
To speed up the reaction producing calcium carbonate, reducing the volume of the container will increase the concentration of carbon dioxide gases. This increase in concentration results in more frequent collisions between reactants. Therefore, the chosen option is to reduce the volume of the container.
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