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Collision Frequency For a chemical reaction to take place the molecules must collide. Even if the reaction involves the decomposition of a single molecule, that molecule must have collided with something to give it the energy necessary to decompose. It is reasonable to expect that the reaction rate will depend on the collision frequency: the greater the number of collisions per second, the faster the rate of reaction. The easiest way to increase the collision frequency is to turn up the heat. At higher temperatures, the average molecule travels faster than it does at low temperatures. Faster molecules means higher collision frequency which, in turn, means faster reaction rate.

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