Science & Tech
chemical kinetics
activation energy
Category:
Science & Tech
- Related Topics:
- reaction rate
- physical chemistry
- Notable Honorees:
- Sir Cyril Norman Hinshelwood
chemical kinetics, the branch of physical chemistry that is concerned with understanding the rates of chemical reactions. It is to be contrasted with thermodynamics, which deals with the direction in which a process occurs but in itself tells nothing about its rate. Thermodynamics is time’s arrow, while chemical kinetics is time’s clock. Chemical kinetics relates to many aspects of cosmology, geology, biology, engineering, and even psychology and thus has far-reaching implications. The principles of chemical kinetics apply to purely physical processes as well as to chemical reactions. One reason for the importance of kinetics is that it provides evidence for ...(100 of 4409 words)