activation energy
Noun
Meaning
the energy that an atomic system must acquire before a process (such as an emission or reaction) can occur
Source: WordNetSynonyms
Hypernyms
Examples
catalysts are said to reduce the energy of activation during the transition phase of a reaction
For a chemical reaction to proceed at a reasonable rate, there should exist an appreciable number of molecules with translational energy equal to or greater than the activation energy.
Catalysts are substances which change the pathway (mechanism) of a reaction which in turn increases the speed of a reaction by lowering the activation energy needed for the reaction to take place.
Enzymes function by lowering the activation energy of the transition state of a chemical reaction, thereby enabling the formation of an otherwise less-favorable molecular intermediate between the reactant(s) and the product(s).
Given the small temperature range kinetic studies occur in, it is reasonable to approximate the activation energy as being independent of the temperature.
Higher activation energy implies that the reactants need more energy to start than a reaction with a lower activation energy.