Kinetics
MCAT glossary · Biological & Biochemical Foundations of Living Systems
Definition
The study of reaction rates and the factors that govern them.
Kinetics in plain English
Kinetics is about how FAST a chemical reaction goes, not whether it happens at all. It's the difference between "can this fire start?" and "how quickly does it spread?" Chemists study kinetics to learn what speeds a reaction up or slows it down, such as temperature, concentration, or a catalyst (a helper substance that lowers the effort needed to react). Understanding the rate lets you control reactions, from cooking to designing medicines.
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