Chemical Kinetics - Chemistry (Undergraduate Foundation)

This course provides a complete guide to chemical kinetics, the study of the rates and mechanisms of chemical reactions. It covers the formal definition of reaction rate, the concept of reaction order, and the determination of rate laws from experimental data. The material also introduces the collision theory, the role of activation energy, and the Arrhenius equation. Chemical kinetics is essential for controlling chemical reactions in industrial manufacturing, pharmaceutical development, and environmental science. The principles are used to optimise production yields by speeding up desired reactions, to develop catalysts that lower energy consumption, and to understand the complex reaction pathways in atmospheric and biological systems. By the end of this course, you will be able to define the rate of a reaction and determine the rate law and rate constant from experimental data. You will also be able to use the concept of activation energy to explain the effect of temperature on reaction rate and understand the basic principles of reaction mechanisms. This course is for students who have a solid foundation in stoichiometry and chemical equilibria. It is a mandatory course for all students of chemistry and chemical engineering and is a direct prerequisite for the study of physical chemistry, industrial chemistry, and biochemistry.

Payment required for enrolment
Enrolment valid for 12 months
This course is also part of the following learning track. You may join the track to gain comprehensive knowledge across related courses.
[NUC Core] CHM 101: General Chemistry I
[NUC Core] CHM 101: General Chemistry I
This learning track delivers the complete NUC CCMAS curriculum for General Chemistry I. It is a comprehensive programme designed to build a robust, university-level foundation in modern chemistry. The track systematically covers all essential topics, from atomic theory, chemical bonding, and the states of matter, to the quantitative principles of stoichiometry, equilibrium, thermodynamics, and kinetics. This programme is for first-year undergraduates in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) faculties who are required to take CHM 101. It is also essential for any student or professional globally who needs a rigorous and complete foundation in first-year university chemistry for further study or career development. This track delivers a full skill set in chemical theory and quantitative problem-solving. Graduates will be able to determine molecular structures, calculate reaction quantities, analyse the energetics and rates of reactions, and solve complex equilibrium problems. This programme provides the non-negotiable prerequisite knowledge for all subsequent chemistry courses and for any degree in the physical sciences, engineering, or medicine.

This learning track delivers the complete NUC CCMAS curriculum for General Chemistry I. It is a comprehensive programme designed to build a robust, university-level foundation in modern chemistry. The track systematically covers all essential topics, from atomic theory, chemical bonding, and the states of matter, to the quantitative principles of stoichiometry, equilibrium, thermodynamics, and kinetics. This programme is for first-year undergraduates in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) faculties who are required to take CHM 101. It is also essential for any student or professional globally who needs a rigorous and complete foundation in first-year university chemistry for further study or career development. This track delivers a full skill set in chemical theory and quantitative problem-solving. Graduates will be able to determine molecular structures, calculate reaction quantities, analyse the energetics and rates of reactions, and solve complex equilibrium problems. This programme provides the non-negotiable prerequisite knowledge for all subsequent chemistry courses and for any degree in the physical sciences, engineering, or medicine.

Course Chapters

1. Introduction
1

This chapter provides the roadmap for the course. It introduces chemical kinetics as the study of the speed of chemical reactions and the factors that influence it. Key learning objectives include: understanding the overall course structure and appreciating the importance of kinetics in controlling chemical processes.

Chapter lessons

1-1. Welcome

This lesson provides a brief overview of the course, outlining the key topics of reaction rates, rate laws, and activation energy.

2. Reaction Rates
2
1

This chapter covers the fundamental concepts of reaction speed. It provides the formal definition of a reaction rate and explains how it is measured experimentally. Key learning objectives include: defining the rate of reaction in terms of the change in concentration of reactants or products over time; and interpreting graphical data to determine average and instantaneous rates.

Chapter lessons

2-1. Defining reaction rate

This lesson formally defines the rate of a chemical reaction and introduces the standard units of concentration per unit of time.

2-2. Measuring reaction rates

This lesson explains how reaction rates are determined experimentally by monitoring the change in concentration of a reactant or product over time.

3. The Rate Law
2
4

This chapter focuses on the rate law, the mathematical expression that relates the rate of a reaction to the concentration of its reactants. It covers the concepts of reaction order and the rate constant. Key learning objectives include: writing a general rate law expression; and determining the order of a reaction and the value of the rate constant from experimental data.

Chapter lessons

3-1. Defining the rate law

This lesson introduces the rate law and defines its components: the reaction orders with respect to each reactant and the overall reaction order.

3-2. Method of initial rates

This lesson details the method of initial rates, a common experimental technique used to determine the rate law for a reaction.

4. Integrated Rate Laws
3
4

This chapter explores the relationship between concentration and time in a chemical reaction. It covers the integrated rate laws for first and second-order reactions and the concept of half-life. Key learning objectives include: using the integrated rate laws to calculate the concentration of a reactant at any time; and understanding and calculating the half-life of a reaction.

Chapter lessons

4-1. First-order reactions

This lesson introduces the integrated rate law for first-order reactions and its characteristic linear plot of ln[A] versus time.

4-2. Second-order reactions

This lesson introduces the integrated rate law for second-order reactions and its characteristic linear plot of 1/[A] versus time.

4-3. Half-life

This lesson defines the half-life of a reaction as the time required for the concentration of a reactant to decrease to half its initial value.

5. Temperature and Reaction Rate
3
2

This chapter covers the effect of temperature on the speed of a chemical reaction. It introduces the collision model, activation energy, and the Arrhenius equation. Key learning objectives include: using collision theory to explain the effect of temperature and concentration on reaction rate; defining activation energy; and using the Arrhenius equation to relate the rate constant to temperature.

Chapter lessons

5-1. The collision model

This lesson introduces the collision model, which states that reacting molecules must collide with sufficient energy and in the correct orientation for a reaction to occur.

5-2. Activation energy

This lesson defines activation energy (Ea) as the minimum energy required to initiate a chemical reaction and visualizes it using a reaction energy diagram.

5-3. The Arrhenius equation

This lesson introduces the Arrhenius equation, which mathematically relates the rate constant (k), the activation energy (Ea), and the absolute temperature (T).

6. Conclusion
2

This concluding chapter summarises the key concepts of chemical kinetics. It reinforces the understanding of how to experimentally determine and mathematically model the rate of a chemical reaction. This summary prepares the student for the next course, 'Electrochemistry', which involves the application of reaction rate principles to electrochemical cells.

Chapter lessons

6-1. Course summary

This lesson consolidates knowledge by reviewing the concepts of reaction rate, rate laws, integrated rate laws, and the effect of temperature on reaction speed.

6-2. Next steps

This final lesson looks ahead, explaining how the principles of chemical kinetics are fundamental to understanding the rates of electrochemical processes and industrial catalysis.