Activation Energy
Summary: Minimum energy required for a chemical reaction to occur. Tags: concepts chemistry Created: 2026-05-03T00:00:00Z Last Updated: 2026-05-03T00:00:00Z
Content
Activation energy is the minimum amount of energy that reacting particles must have to collide successfully and form products. It acts as an energy barrier that must be overcome for a reaction to proceed.
Catalysts lower the activation energy by providing an alternative reaction pathway, allowing reactions to occur faster or at lower temperatures without being consumed themselves.
Without sufficient activation energy, reactant particles simply bounce off each other without reacting.