Question

Many chemical reactions proceed at rates that depend on the temperature. Discuss this from the point of view of the Boltzmann distribution.

Short answer

The fractions of molecules with lower energies decreasing while the fraction of molecules with higher energies increasing. The total area of Boltzmann distribution remains constant.

Step-by-step solution

Understanding the Boltzmann distribution

The Boltzmann distribution gives the distribution of molecular speeds (or molecular energies) of gas sample at a given temperature.

Discuss about many chemical reactions proceed at rates that depends on the temperature from the point of view of the Boltzmann distribution.

The Boltzmann distribution curve that represents the rate of chemical reaction that depends on the temperature is given below.

As temperature increases, the curve shifts towards right and flattens out. The peak of the curves becomes shorter. The total area under the curves, however, remains the same. Also, the fraction of molecules with low energies decreases while the fraction of molecules with high energies increases.