What is the Activation Energy for Juice Spoiling?

  • Thread starter Thread starter Saitama
  • Start date Start date
  • Tags Tags
    Activation Energy
Join the discussion
Registration is free. Start your own thread to ask a follow-up.
6 replies · 4K views
Saitama
Messages
4,244
Reaction score
93

Homework Statement


At room temperature (20°C) orange juice gets spoilt in about 64 hours. In a refrigerator at 3°C juice can be stored three times as long before it gets spoilt. Estimate (a) the activation energy of the reaction that causes the spoiling of juice. (b) How long should it take for juice to get spoilt at 40°C?

(Answer: (a)43.46 kJ mol^(-1) (b) 20.47 hour)

Homework Equations





The Attempt at a Solution


I guess I have to use the Arrhenius equation here but I don't have the rate constants at the two temperatures. How am I supposed to solve this?
 
Physics news on Phys.org
You have a ratio between the rate constants at two different temperatures. That is sufficient to calculate the activation energy, even if you do not know the other parameters.
 
mfb said:
You have a ratio between the rate constants at two different temperatures. That is sufficient to calculate the activation energy, even if you do not know the other parameters.

If ##k_1## is the rate constant at 20°C and ##k_2## at 3°C, does that mean ##k_1/k_2=3##?
 
mfb said:
Sure.

I tried that but I end up with a wrong answer.

From Arrhenius equation,
[tex]\ln\frac{k_1}{k_2}=-\frac{E_a}{R}\left(\frac{1}{T_1}-\frac{1}{T_2}\right)[/tex]
Plugging in the values and solving for ##E_a##, I get a wrong answer. Here's the calculation:
Wolfram|Alpha
 
mfb said:
Just a calculation error in the fridge temperature.
fixed

:-p

Thank you!