Why does increasing temperature generally increase the reaction rate?

Increasing temperature generally increases the reaction rate because it provides more energy, causing particles to move faster and collide more frequently and forcefully.

In more detail, the rate of a chemical reaction is determined by the frequency and energy of collisions between reacting particles. As the temperature increases, the kinetic energy of the particles also increases. This means that the particles move faster and collide more frequently. More collisions increase the chances of successful reactions, thus increasing the reaction rate.

Moreover, the increased kinetic energy also means that the collisions are more forceful. In a chemical reaction, a certain minimum amount of energy, known as the activation energy, is required for the reaction to occur. The activation energy is the energy barrier that needs to be overcome for the reactants to be converted into products. When the temperature is increased, more particles will have the necessary energy to overcome this barrier. This results in a higher proportion of successful collisions, further increasing the reaction rate.

It's also important to note the role of the Maxwell-Boltzmann distribution in this process. This statistical distribution describes the spread of energies that particles in a system can have at a given temperature. At higher temperatures, the distribution shifts towards higher energies, meaning that more particles have the energy required to overcome the activation energy. This is another reason why increasing the temperature increases the reaction rate.

In summary, increasing the temperature increases the reaction rate by providing more energy to the particles. This causes them to move faster and collide more frequently and forcefully, leading to more successful reactions. The shift in the Maxwell-Boltzmann distribution towards higher energies at higher temperatures also contributes to this effect.