Calculate how a rate constant changes with temperature using the Arrhenius equation.
Rate depends exponentially on temperature through the Boltzmann factor. For a typical activation energy of 50 kJ/mol the rate roughly doubles for every 10 K rise, which is the origin of the Q10 rule of thumb. The exponential dependence is why refrigeration is so effective at slowing spoilage and why runaway reactions accelerate so violently.
Arrhenius Equation
k = A e^(−Ea/RT); ln(k₂/k₁) = −(Ea/R)(1/T₂ − 1/T₁)
k = A e^(−Ea/RT); ln(k₂/k₁) = −(Ea/R)(1/T₂ − 1/T₁) Rate depends exponentially on temperature through the Boltzmann factor. For a typical activation energy of 50 kJ/mol the rate roughly doubles for every 10 K rise, which is the origin of the Q10 rule of thumb.
The exponential dependence is why refrigeration is so effective at slowing spoilage and why runaway reactions accelerate so violently.
This calculator takes 4 inputs: Activation energy, Temperature 1, Temperature 2, Rate constant at temperature 1. The pre-filled defaults are a realistic starting point — replace them with figures from your own environment for a result you can act on.