A particular chemical reaction carried out at 60°C takes 4 hours. Approximately how long will it take to carry out the reaction at 30°C?

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The rate of a chemical reaction generally increases with temperature. So, when the temperature is lowered, the reaction rate will decrease. The exact relationship between temperature and reaction rate is given by the Arrhenius equation, but as a rough estimate, we can use the rule of thumb that the reaction rate will approximately double for every 10°C increase in temperature. Since the temperature is being decreased from 60°C to 30°C (a change of 30°C), the reaction rate will approximately halve. Therefore, it will take approximately twice as long to carry out the reaction at 30°C as it did at 60°C, or 8 hours. The best choice is D.

A Particular Chemical Reaction Carried Out at 60°C Takes 4