The Arrhenius equation was discovered by Swedish scientist Svante Arrhenius, and expresses the reaction rate constant k in a chemical reaction as follows.
This equation means that the higher the temperature or the smaller the activation energy, the faster the reaction rate.
Activation energy is also called the Arrhenius parameter.
Furthermore, if the above equation is converted into a natural logarithm, it can be expressed as a straight line proportional to 1/T as shown below.
This is called an Arrhenius plot, and the activation energy E can be calculated from the slope of the line.
■Example of using the Arrhenius equation
＜Battery deterioration＞
This equation is used to show that an increase in battery temperature accelerates the rate of deterioration.
The result expressed in natural logarithms fits into a linear equation, meaning that the reaction rate (= rate of deterioration) increases exponentially with the inverse of the temperature.
For batteries, this is known as the 10°C double law, which means that a 10°C rise in temperature doubles the rate of deterioration.
＜Ignition delay in engine combustion＞
The Arrhenius equation is used to calculate the ignition delay time of an ignition engine. When the temperature is low, the reaction rate slows down and ignition delay occurs.
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