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Reactions & Rates

This simulation is very effective when used in conjunction with a lecture, homework or other teacher designed activity.
Reactions & Rates Screenshot Download 2,473 kB
Version: 1.07 (change log)
Explore what makes a reaction happen by colliding atoms and molecules. Design experiments with different reactions, concentrations, and temperatures. When are reactions reversible? What affects the rate of a reaction?

See Below

Teaching Resources

Main Topics

  • Reaction
  • Kinematics
  • Concentration
  • Equilibrium

Sample Learning Goals

  • Explain why and how a pinball shooter can be used to help understand ideas about reactions.
  • Describe on a microscopic level what contributes to a successful reaction (with illustrations).
  • Describe how the reaction coordinate can be used to predict whether a reaction will proceed or slow.
  • Use the potential energy diagram to determine: The activation energy for the forward and reverse reactions; The difference in energy between reactants and products; The relative potential energies of the molecules at different positions on a reaction coordinate.
  • Draw a potential energy diagram from the energies of reactants and products and activation energy.
  • Sketch how the number of reactants and products will change as a reaction proceeds.
  • Explain how they know that a system has reached equilibrium from a graph of number of reactants and products versus time.
  • Predict how raising or lowering the temperature will affect a system in the equilibrium position.
  • Describe the relative sizes of the forward and reverse rates at equilibrium.
  • Explain what effects whether the equilibrium position favors the products or the reactants.
  • Predict how addition of a reactant or product will affect the forward and reverse reaction rates, and once this new system reaches equilibrium how the reactant and product concentrations will compare to the original system at equilibrium.
  • Compare graphs of concentration vs. time to determine which represents the fastest or slowest rate.

Tips for Teachers

The teacher's guide (pdf) contains tips created by the PhET team.

Teaching Ideas

Title Authors Level Type Updated
Using PhET in High School Chemistry- all my activities in pdf This contribution was designed by PhET. This contribution has received a Gold Star because it is a high quality inquiry-based activity that follows the PhET design guidelines (PDF) and teachers have found it useful. Trish Loeblein UG-Intro
HS		 Lab
Demo
CQs
HW		 7/20/13
Concept Questions for Chemistry using PhET This contribution was designed by PhET. This contribution has received a Gold Star because it is a high quality inquiry-based activity that follows the PhET design guidelines (PDF) and teachers have found it useful. Trish Loeblein UG-Intro
MS
HS		 CQs 7/9/13
Reactions and Rates 4: Equilibrium LeChatlier This contribution was designed by PhET. This contribution has received a Gold Star because it is a high quality inquiry-based activity that follows the PhET design guidelines (PDF) and teachers have found it useful. Trish Loeblein HS
UG-Intro		 Lab
HW		 9/23/13
Reactions and Rates 2: Intro to Kinetics (inquiry based) This contribution was designed by PhET. This contribution has received a Gold Star because it is a high quality inquiry-based activity that follows the PhET design guidelines (PDF) and teachers have found it useful. Trish Loeblein HS
UG-Intro		 HW
CQs
Lab		 7/9/13
Salts and Solubility 5 Activities in pdf This contribution was designed by PhET. This contribution has received a Gold Star because it is a high quality inquiry-based activity that follows the PhET design guidelines (PDF) and teachers have found it useful. Trish Loeblein UG-Intro
HS		 Other 9/23/13
Exploring Equilibrium 2 (Le Chatelier's Principle) This contribution has received a Gold Star because it is a high quality inquiry-based activity that follows the PhET design guidelines (PDF) and teachers have found it useful. Amy Jordan HS Lab 6/6/09
Reaction Rates This contribution has received a Gold Star because it is a high quality inquiry-based activity that follows the PhET design guidelines (PDF) and teachers have found it useful. Emily Firchau HS Lab 11/13/08
Exploring Equilibrium This contribution has received a Gold Star because it is a high quality inquiry-based activity that follows the PhET design guidelines (PDF) and teachers have found it useful. Amy Jordan HS Lab 11/14/08
Reactions and Rates Guide for using with 4 lessons (Inquiry Based) This contribution was designed by PhET. This contribution has received a Gold Star because it is a high quality inquiry-based activity that follows the PhET design guidelines (PDF) and teachers have found it useful. Trish Loeblein HS
UG-Intro		 CQs
HW
Demo
Lab		 7/9/13
Reactions and Rates 1 Introduction to reactions (Inquiry Based) This contribution was designed by PhET. This contribution has received a Gold Star because it is a high quality inquiry-based activity that follows the PhET design guidelines (PDF) and teachers have found it useful. Trish Loeblein HS
UG-Intro		 Lab
CQs
Demo		 7/7/13
Reactions and Rates College version for tab 3- kinetics (Inquiry Based) This contribution was designed by PhET. This contribution has received a Gold Star because it is a high quality inquiry-based activity that follows the PhET design guidelines (PDF) and teachers have found it useful. Trish Loeblein UG-Adv Lab 7/7/13
Reactions and Rates 3: Introduction to Equilibrium (Inquiry Based) This contribution was designed by PhET. This contribution has received a Gold Star because it is a high quality inquiry-based activity that follows the PhET design guidelines (PDF) and teachers have found it useful. Trish Loeblein UG-Intro
HS		 HW
CQs
Lab		 7/9/13
Reactions and Rates Jefferson County Middle School Workshop MS Lab 4/24/09
Reactions and Rates: Learning Goals from the design team (Inquiry Based) This contribution was designed by PhET. Trish Loeblein, Linda Koch UG-Intro
HS
UG-Adv		 Other 7/7/13
반응과 반응속도 SIM 사용지침서 이화국(Wha Kuk Lee) HS
UG-Intro		 Lab
Demo
Other		 5/10/13

You can submit your own ideas and activities.

Translated Versions:

Language Language (Translated) Simulation Title
Arabic العربية التفاعلات وسرعتها(معدلها) Run Now
Arabic, Saudi Arabia العربية (السعودية) التفاعلات وسرعتها(معدلها) Run Now
Bashkir Bashkir Erreakzio-abiadura Run Now
Basque Basque Erreakzioa eta abiadura Run Now
Bosnian Bosnian HEMIJSKE REAKCIJE I PROMJENE Run Now
Brazilian Portuguese português (Brasil) Reações e Taxas Run Now
Chinese - Simplified 中文 (中国) 化学反应平衡 Run Now
Chinese - Traditional 中文 (台灣) Reactions & Rates 化學反應和反應速率 Run Now
Danish Dansk Reaktioner og størrelser Run Now
Dutch Nederlands Reacties en reactiesnelheid Run Now
Estonian Eesti Reaktsioonid ja nende hindamine Run Now
French français Réaction et cinétique Run Now
Galician Gallegan Reaccións e Rtos Run Now
Georgian Georgian რეაქციები და შედეგები Run Now
German Deutsch Reaktionen & Geschwindigkeiten Run Now
Greek Ελληνικά Αντιδράσεις και Ταχύτητα Αντίδρασης Run Now
Hebrew עברית תגובות וקצבים Run Now
Hungarian magyar Reakciók: sebesség & egyensúly Run Now
Indonesian Bahasa Indonesia Reaksi dan Tingkatannya Run Now
Italian italiano Reazioni e velocità di reazione Run Now
Japanese 日本語 反応と速度 Run Now
Kannada Kannada ರಾಸಾಯನಿಕ ಕ್ರಿಯೆ ಮತ್ತು ಪ್ರಮಾಣ Run Now
Khmer Khmer ប្រតិកម្ម និង​ល្បឿន Run Now
Korean 한국어 반응과 반응속도 Run Now
Macedonian македонски ХЕМИСКИ РЕАКЦИИ И ПРОМЕНИ Run Now
Persian Persian واكنش ها و سرعت ها Run Now
Polish polski Reakcje i ich szybkości Run Now
Portuguese português Reações & taxas Run Now
Russian русский Скорость реакций Run Now
Serbian Српски ХЕМИЈСКЕ РЕАКЦИЈЕ И ПРОМЕНЕ Run Now
Slovak Slovenčina Reakcie & Hodnoty Run Now
Slovenian Slovenščina Reakcije in hitrosti reakcij Run Now
Spanish español Velocidades de reacción Run Now
Spanish (Peru) español (Perú) Velocidad de las Reacciones Run Now
Swedish svenska Reaktioner & reaktionshastigheter Run Now
Turkish Türkçe Reaksiyonlar & Oranlar Run Now
Turkmen Turkmen Reaksiýalar we mukdarlar Run Now
Vietnamese Tiếng Việt Phản ứng và tốc độ phản ứng Run Now

Software Requirements

Windows Macintosh Linux
Microsoft Windows
XP/Vista/7
Sun Java 1.5.0_15 or later 		OS 10.5 or later
Sun Java 1.5.0_19 or later 		Sun Java 1.5.0_15 or later

Credits

Design Team Third-party Libraries Thanks To
  • Linda Koch (lead)
  • Ron LeMaster (developer)
  • Trish Loeblein
  • Kathy Perkins
  • Interviewer: Mindy Gratny
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