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)

Question

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

Answer 1

To potentially get the two substances to react, the chemist could try the following:

b. increase the concentration of one of the substances - Increasing the concentration of one of the reactants can increase the rate of reaction by providing more reactant molecules to collide with one another.

d. heat the substances - Generally, increasing the temperature increases the kinetic energy of the molecules, which can lead to a higher frequency of collisions and potentially a greater chance of reaction.

e. crush up one of the substances - If one of the substances is a solid, decreasing its particle size (by crushing) increases its surface area, which can lead to more effective collisions with the other substance, thereby promoting a reaction.

Options a (cooling the substances) and c (decreasing the concentration of one of the substances) are less likely to promote a reaction in most cases, as they could lower the energy or the number of reacting molecules involved.

So, the correct options to select are: b, d, and e.