Melanie has completed the analysis of her data for the reaction of KMnO4 with malonic acid and data for a reaction of KMnO4 with tartaric acid. She compared the activation energies, Ea, she calculated for the two reactions and found the Ea for the malonic acid reaction to be greater than the Ea for the tartaric acid reaction. Required:
What does this mean about the magnitude of the rate constant, k, and the rate of the reaction?

See explanation

Explanation:

The relationship between the activation energy and rate of reaction is best captured by the Arrhenius equation;

k= Ae^-Ea/RT

Where;

k= rate constant

A= pre-exponential factor

Ea=activation energy

R= gas constant

T= temperature

We can see from the foregoing that, as the activation energy increases, the rate of reaction decreases and vice versa. reactions that have a very high activation energy are markedly slow.

Since the activation energy for the malonic acid reaction is found to be greater than the activation energy for the tartaric acid reaction, then the rate of the malonic acid reaction(k) will be slower than that of the tartaric acid reaction.

a non redox reaction occurs when there is not a transfer of electrons. for redox reactions, which are reduction-oxidation reactions, a change in the oxidation number occurs. elements that are reduced gain electrons, and elements that are oxidized lose electrons.

explanation: