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According to the Arrhenius equation (k = Ae-E/RT), if a reaction occurs at room temperature, what would you expect to happen if the temperature was increased by a factor of 4?
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Correct Answer: C. The k value would increase, but only slightly.
The correct answer is C. The Arrhenius equation is given by k = Ae-E/RT, where A is the pre-exponential factor, R is the gas constant, T is the temperature, and E is the activation energy. Thus, if the temperature were increased by a factor of 4, then the exponent would decrease by a factor of 4, since T is in the denominator. However, since it is e-x, the actual value won’t change much. For example, exp(-1) = 0.36, but exp(-1/4) = 0.77. Thus, although the value of k will increase, it will not increase by a factor of 4, only slightly.
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