Activation energy is the minimum amount of energy required to start a chemical reaction. It is often described as the "energy barrier" or "activation barrier" that must be overcome for a reaction to occur.
Bond enthalpy is the measure of the strength of a chemical bond. Activation energy is directly related to bond enthalpy, as breaking and forming chemical bonds requires energy. The higher the bond enthalpy, the higher the activation energy required for a reaction to occur.
Increasing the temperature can lower the activation energy required for a chemical reaction to occur. This is because higher temperatures increase the kinetic energy of molecules, making them more likely to overcome the energy barrier and react.
Yes, catalysts can lower the activation energy required for a chemical reaction to occur. They do this by providing an alternate reaction pathway with a lower activation energy, making the reaction more favorable and increasing the rate of the reaction.
Activation energy is typically determined by measuring the reaction rate at different temperatures and using the Arrhenius equation to calculate the activation energy. It can also be determined by measuring the activation energy of the reverse reaction and using the principle of microscopic reversibility.