Activation energy is the minimum amount of energy required for a chemical reaction to occur. It is a barrier that must be overcome for reactant molecules to form products.
An Arrhenius plot is a graph that shows the relationship between the rate of a chemical reaction and the temperature at which the reaction occurs. It is named after Swedish chemist Svante Arrhenius who first proposed the concept.
To find activation energy from an Arrhenius plot, you need to plot the natural logarithm of the rate constant (ln k) against the reciprocal of temperature (1/T). The slope of the resulting line is equal to -Ea/R, where Ea is the activation energy and R is the gas constant. Therefore, multiplying the slope by -R will give you the activation energy in units of joules per mole (J/mol).
Finding activation energy from an Arrhenius plot can provide valuable information about the nature of a chemical reaction. It can help determine the mechanism of the reaction, the stability of the reactants and products, and can even suggest potential ways to speed up or slow down the reaction.
Some possible sources of error when finding activation energy from an Arrhenius plot include experimental errors such as imprecise measurements, errors in temperature readings, and variations in experimental conditions. Additionally, assumptions made in the calculation, such as assuming a constant value for the rate constant, can also lead to errors.