Question

Which of the conditions given is necessary for a chemical reaction to occur?

a. The molecules of the reacting chemicals must be in motion.

b. The molecules of the reacting chemicals must bump into each other.

c. The molecules of the reacting chemicals must be of opposite charges.

d. The molecules of the reacting chemicals must be at different charges.

Answer 1

The necessary condition for a chemical reaction to occur is that the molecules of the reacting chemicals must bump into each other, necessitating movement and sufficient kinetic energy to overcome activation energy.

Step-by-step explanation:

The condition necessary for a chemical reaction to occur is that the molecules of the reacting chemicals must bump into each other, which equates to option b. This is because reactions begin when reactant molecules collide, which requires them to be in motion. There are three main requirements for a chemical reaction:

1. Reactants must collide with proper orientation - the more frequent and correctly oriented the collisions, the faster the reaction.
2. The reacting species must collide in an orientation that allows contact between the atoms that will bond together in the product.
3. There must be enough kinetic energy at the time of collision to surpass the energy barrier known as the activation energy - lower activation energy correlates with a faster reaction.

Therefore, while motion is necessary (implied by collisions), the specific charge conditions mentioned in options c and d are not universally required for chemical reactions to occur.