ERIC Number: EJ820843
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2007-Nov
Pages: 3
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0021-9584
EISSN: N/A
Visualizing the Transition State: A Hands-On Approach to the Arrhenius Equation
Kuntzleman, Thomas S.; Swanson, Matthew S.; Sayers, Deborah K.
Journal of Chemical Education, v84 n11 p1776-1778 Nov 2007
An exercise is presented in which the kinetics of the irreversible "reaction" of pennies in the heads-up state to pennies in the tails-up state is simulated by a hands-on, Monte Carlo approach. In addition, the exercise incorporates a second simulation in which the irreversible "reaction" of dice with a red face uppermost to a blue face uppermost is conducted. The transition states of the reactions are assumed to be a penny that is in the process of being flipped or a die in the process of being rolled, respectively. Data collected by students who perform these simulations show that both "reactions" follow first-order decay kinetics. Arrhenius plots from these data yield activation energies comparable to assigned values and pre-exponential factors close to what would be expected based on the probability of a "reactant" achieving the correct orientation for conversion into "product". A comparison of the values obtained for the pre-exponential factors for the different simulations allows students to semi-quantitatively discuss the orientational requirement that is contained within this factor. (Contains 3 figures.)
Descriptors: Monte Carlo Methods, Kinetics, Probability, Item Response Theory, Manipulative Materials, Science Education, Simulation, Chemistry, Experiential Learning
Division of Chemical Education of the American Chemical Society. Subscription Department, P.O. Box 1267, Bellmawr, NJ 08099-1267. Tel: 800-691-9846; Tel: 856-931-5825; Fax: 856-931-4115; e-mail: jchemed@egpp.com; Web site: http://www.jce.divched.org
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Descriptive
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A