A chemist measures the rate of an elementary reaction at two temperatures, 300 K and 330 K. Kinetic data show that approximately 4 % of collisions possess energies equal to or greater than the activation energy at 300 K, whereas about 12 % of collisions meet or exceed that energy at 330 K. Assume that the probability that any collision with sufficient energy also has the correct orientation is 0.10 and that this orientation probability is independent of temperature.
(a) Using qualitative features of the Maxwell–Boltzmann energy distribution, explain why raising the temperature by 30 K leads to a more than threefold increase in the fraction of sufficiently energetic collisions.
(b) Calculate the overall fraction of total collisions that are expected to be successful at each temperature.
(c) Explain why, despite the increase in temperature, most collisions at 330 K still do not produce products.