A chemist is trying to get two substances to react, but he is unsuccessful. He knows that the two substances should react with one another. Which of the following could he do to possibly get the substances to react? (Select all that apply)

a
decrease the concentration of one of the substances
b
crush up one of the substances
c
increase the concentration of one of the substances
d
heat the substances
e
cool the substances

1 answer

To help the chemist get the two substances to react, he can consider the following options:

b. crush up one of the substances - Crushing a solid substance increases its surface area, allowing for more interactions between the reactant particles, which can facilitate a reaction.

c. increase the concentration of one of the substances - Increasing the concentration of one of the reactants increases the number of reactant particles in a given volume, leading to a higher likelihood of collisions and reactions.

d. heat the substances - Heating the substances typically provides the reactant molecules with more kinetic energy, which can increase the frequency and energy of collisions between them, improving the chances of a reaction.

Therefore, the best options to possibly get the substances to react are b, c, and d.

Options a (decreasing the concentration) and e (cooling the substances) are less likely to facilitate a reaction, as they would reduce the number of collisions between reactant molecules.