Kinetics
Definition
Kinetics is branch of chemistry or biochemistry concerned with measuring and studying rates of reactions.
Analogy
Consider kinetics as if it were traffic analysis. Just as traffic analysts study the speed of cars, how many pass through an intersection, and what affects these factors (like rush hour or road construction), kinetics studies the rate at which reactants turn into products in a chemical reaction and what influences this rate.
Related terms
Rate of Reaction: The speed at which reactants are converted into products in a chemical reaction.
Catalyst: A substance that increases the rate of a chemical reaction without itself undergoing any permanent chemical change.
Reaction Mechanism: The step by step sequence of elementary reactions by which overall chemical change occurs.
"Kinetics" appears in:
Study guides (5)
Additional resources (1)
Practice Questions (2)
- Kinetics studies
- When defining kinetics, there are two definitions: (A) the study of the rates of a chemical reaction, and (B) the determining factor of how quickly or slowly a reaction occurs. Which of these definitions are true?
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