Gas-phase chemistry

Gas-phase chemistry studies the properties and reactions of substances dispersed as gases, where collisions, molecular structure, and energy transfer govern chemical change.

Collision theory: A model explaining reaction rates through collisions that have sufficient energy and suitable molecular orientation. It connects gas reaction rates to how often molecules collide and whether collisions can lead to reaction.
Ideal gas law: The equation of state relating pressure, volume, temperature, and amount of an ideal gas. It links the gas density and temperature that set collision frequencies and reaction conditions.
Combustion: A rapid exothermic chemical reaction, typically involving a fuel and an oxidizer. Many flame reactions proceed through chains of gas-phase radical reactions.
Solution chemistry: The study of chemical behavior in liquid solutions, where solutes interact with a solvent. Solvent stabilization and molecular encounters alter reaction rates and equilibria compared with gases.
Transition state theory: A theory that estimates reaction rates from the properties of a high-energy configuration separating reactants from products. It describes how activated gas molecules cross an energetic bottleneck on their reaction path.
Maxwell–Boltzmann distribution: A statistical distribution of particle speeds or energies in a system at thermal equilibrium. It predicts what fraction of gas molecules has enough energy to overcome a reaction barrier.
Atmospheric chemistry: The study of chemical processes in Earth's atmosphere and other planetary atmospheres. It applies gas-phase reaction mechanisms to the changing composition of planetary air.
Solid-state chemistry: The study of chemical composition, structure, and reactions in solid materials. Reactions in solids depend on lattice structure and transport, unlike freely moving gas molecules.
Chemical kinetics: The study of reaction rates and the factors that control them. Gas-phase reactions provide well-controlled systems for measuring rate laws and elementary reaction steps.
Mean free path: The average distance a particle travels between collisions with other particles. It indicates how frequently molecules encounter one another at a given gas density.

Linked from 8 pages