Why does increasing temperature generally increase the rate of a chemical reaction?

• A. Because higher temperatures decrease the concentration of reactants.
• B. Because temperature increases the volume of the reaction vessel.
• C. Because temperature causes the reactants to become more stable.
• D. Because more reactant molecules have enough energy to overcome the activation energy barrier.

Answer: (D)

Verified step by step guidance

1. Understand that the rate of a chemical reaction depends on how often and how effectively reactant molecules collide.
2. Recall that temperature is a measure of the average kinetic energy of molecules; increasing temperature means molecules move faster.
3. Recognize that faster-moving molecules collide more frequently and with greater energy.
4. Know that for a reaction to occur, molecules must have enough energy to overcome the activation energy barrier, which is the minimum energy required for the reaction to proceed.
5. Therefore, increasing temperature increases the fraction of molecules with sufficient energy to surpass the activation energy, thus increasing the reaction rate.