If a chemist wishes to carry out a reaction in which one reactant is a solid and one is a liquid, which of the following will be most effective in speeding up the reaction?

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Grinding the solid to a powder will increase its surface area, making it easier for the liquid reactant to come into contact with the solid and react with it. This will increase the reaction rate. Adding more liquid reactant or using a larger crystal of the solid will not have as much of an effect on increasing the surface area and may not lead to a significant increase in the reaction rate.

If a Chemist Wishes to Carry Out a Reaction in Which