Catalysts

• Catalysts are substances that increase the rate of a chemical reaction without being involved in the reactive change itself. Therefore, the amount of catalyst and its chemical makeup will remain unchanged at the end of the reaction. Catalysts decrease the activation energy required for the reaction to occur by providing an alternative route for the reaction. The alternative route requires a lower activation energy, thereby increasing the rate of the reaction. An example of a catalyst is an enzyme. Enzymes are an essential part of human anatomy due to the vast number of chemical reactions that occur in the human body every day.
  
  

Concentration of Reactants

• Not surprisingly, a higher concentration of reactants will increase the rate of the reaction. If there are more particles available to collide, there will be a greater number of collisions between particles per unit of time.
  
  

Temperature

• Adding heat is a common method used to increase chemical reaction rates.Hemera Technologies/PhotoObjects.net/Getty Images
  
  In general, an increase in temperature will simultaneously increase the rate of a chemical reaction. Heat gives molecules energy and causes them to move around at a stronger, faster rate. This additional bouncing around leads to more collisions between particles, which also makes the particles more likely to combine.
  
  

Chemical Kinetics

• Using catalysts, increasing temperature, and altering the concentration of reactants are three of the most common ways to increase the reaction rate, but there are several more methods. Chemical kinetics, otherwise known as reaction kinetics, is a field devoted to studying the factors that influence chemical reaction rates.