activation energy

Definition: The minimum energy required for a chemical reaction to proceed from reactants to products.

Examples: Increasing the temperature of a combustion reaction provides reactants with more kinetic energy, decreasing the activation energy and promoting ignition.

Comments

Shane Donofrio at 10/20/2025 4:39pm

A more accurate definition would include the requirements for a reaction to occur, such as defining what the minimum that needs be overcome for a reaction to occur actually is, including details about the differences in free energy and how that can relate to changes in entropy and enthalpy.