Chemical Kinetics

Reaction rates, collision theory, rate laws, activation energy, Arrhenius, and catalysts.

Intended level

Advanced — after Thermochemistry.

Prerequisites

• thermochemistry-thermodynamics

Ordered lessons

1. reaction rate collision theory
2. rate laws
3. activation energy arrhenius
4. catalysts

Related formulas and calculators

• $rate-law$ — see Formula: rate-law
• $arrhenius$ — see Formula: arrhenius
• $half-life-first-order$ — see Formula: half-life-first-order
• rate-law
• arrhenius-calc

Only links to real, published tools are shown. Placeholders are not linked.

Common misconceptions

• Catalysts shift equilibrium.
• Rate law follows stoichiometry automatically.
• Temperature always increases rate linearly.

Related resources

• Constants — sourced physical constants with version stamps.
• Laboratory Safety — PPE, hazards, RAMP.
• Glossary — definitions for key terms in this topic.
• Sources and Data — how sources are versioned and cited.

Curriculum mappings

This topic maps to external frameworks stored in src/content/curriculum/. Never implies official affiliation.

• AP Chemistry 1.1 / IB Chemistry 2.1 (see /curriculum/ap-chem-1-1 and file src/content/curriculum/ap-chem-1-1.md).
• Framework version and source URL recorded per mapping; review date 2026-08-21.

Review and source metadata

• Author: Chemistry Fundamentals Editorial Team (chem-team)
• Reviewer: Dr. Example Reviewer (chemistry reviewer — transparent placeholder, see /editorial-policy)
• Last reviewed: 2026-08-21
• Review due: 2027-08-21
• Sources: NIST Reference Placeholder (nist-2022, 2022-CODATA). Placeholder reference — replace with actual sourced reference per lesson.

Printable summary

Summary card (PDF) — coming soon — print styles preserve equations and tables.

Correction? See Corrections Policy and Contact.