National Science Foundation
Excellence Center of Science and Mathematics Education at King Saud University
Reactions & Rates
Explore what makes a reaction happen by colliding atoms and molecules. Design experiments with different reactions, concentrations, and temperatures. When are reactions reversible? What affects the rate of a reaction?
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Topics
Main Topics
- Reactions
- Kinetics
- Concentration of reaction components
- Equilibrium
Related Topics
- Rate coefficients, Activation energy, Chemical Equilibrium, Le Chatelier's principle, Catalysts, chemistry
Sample Learning Goals
- Explain why and how a pinball shooter can be used to help understand ideas about reactions.
- Describe on a microscopic level what contributes to a successful reaction (with illustrations).
- Describe how the reaction coordinate can be used to predict whether a reaction will proceed or slow.
- Use the potential energy diagram to determine: The activation energy for the forward and reverse reactions; The difference in energy between reactants and products; The relative potential energies of the molecules at different positions on a reaction coordinate.
- Draw a potential energy diagram from the energies of reactants and products and activation energy.
- Sketch how the number of reactants and products will change as a reaction proceeds.
- Explain how they know that a system has reached equilibrium from a graph of number of reactants and products versus time.
- Predict how raising or lowering the temperature will affect a system in the equilibrium position.
- Describe the relative sizes of the forward and reverse rates at equilibrium.
- Explain what effects whether the equilibrium position favors the products or the reactants.
- Predict how addition of a reactant or product will affect the forward and reverse reaction rates, and once this new system reaches equilibrium how the reactant and product concentrations will compare to the original system at equilibrium.
- Compare graphs of concentration vs. time to determine which represents the fastest or slowest rate.
Teaching Ideas
Tips for Teachers
The teacher's guide contains tips for teachers created by the PhET team (PDF).
Ideas and Activities for this Sim
There are 12 contributions listed.
 Title | Author | Level | Type | Updated |
Concept Questions for Chemistry using PhET  | T. Loeblein | UG-Intro HS | CQs | 8/09 |
Exploring Equilibrium
 | A. Jordan | HS | Lab | 11/08 |
| Exploring Equilibrium 2 (Le Chatelier's Principle)
| A. Jordan | HS | Lab | 6/09 |
| Reaction Rates
| E. Firchau | HS | Lab | 11/08 |
| Reactions and Rates | J. Workshop | MS | Lab | 4/09 |
| Reactions and Rates 1 Introduction to reactions (Inquiry Based) | T. Loeblein | HS UG-Intro | CQs Demo Lab | 11/08 |
| Reactions and Rates 2: Intro to Kinetics (inquiry based) | T. Loeblein | UG-Intro HS | CQs Lab HW | 6/09 |
| Reactions and Rates 3: Introduction to Equilibrium (Inquiry Based) | T. Loeblein | UG-Intro HS | CQs HW Lab | 6/09 |
| Reactions and Rates 4: Equilibrium LeChatlier | T. Loeblein | UG-Intro HS | HW Lab | 7/09 |
| Reactions and Rates College version for tab 3- kinetics (Inquiry Based) | T. Loeblein | UG-Adv | Lab | 11/08 |
| Reactions and Rates Guide for using with 4 lessons (Inquiry Based) | T. Loeblein | HS UG-Intro | Demo Lab HW CQs | 8/09 |
| Reactions and Rates: Learning Goals from the design team (Inquiry Based) | T. Loeblein | UG-Intro UG-Adv HS | Other | 11/08 |
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Software Requirements
| Windows Systems | Macintosh Systems | Linux Systems |
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Microsoft Windows XP/Vista/7 Sun Java 1.5.0_15 or later |
OS 10.4.11 or later Apple Java 1.5.0_19 or later |
Sun Java 1.5.0_15 or later |
Translated Versions
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Credits
| Design Team | Third-party Libraries | Thanks To |
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