To remember the conditions for a successful collision, think of the letters CEO:
- C — COLLIDE (particles must physically meet)
- E — ENERGY ≥ Ea (must exceed activation energy)
- O — ORIENTATION (must hit at the right angle)
A CEO runs a company — all three must be present for the company (reaction) to succeed. If any one is missing, nothing happens!
This memory aid covers Memory Aid: CEO within Rates & Collision Theory for GCSE Chemistry. Revise Rates & Collision Theory in Rates of Reaction for GCSE Chemistry with 25 exam-style questions and 16 flashcards. This topic appears less often, but it can still be a useful differentiator on mixed-topic papers. It is section 10 of 14 in this topic. Use it for quick recall, then test yourself straight afterwards so the memory aid becomes usable in an answer.
Practice questions for Rates & Collision Theory
According to collision theory, which of the following must happen for a chemical reaction to take place?
Explain, using collision theory, why increasing the concentration of a reactant solution increases the rate of reaction.