The rate of reactions exhibiting negative activation energy

Options

A. Decreases with increasing temperature
B. Increases with the increasing temperature
C. Does not depend on temperature
D. Depends on the height of the potential barrier

Answer

### Step-by-Step Solution:

1. **Understanding Activation Energy**:
- Activation energy (Ea) is the minimum energy required for a chemical reaction to occur. It is a crucial factor in determining the rate of a reaction.

2. **Negative Activation Energy**:
- When we talk about negative activation energy, it implies that the reaction behaves unusually. Typically, as temperature increases, the rate of reaction increases due to more molecules having sufficient energy to overcome the activation barrier. However, in this case, the opposite is true.

3. **Effect of Temperature on Reaction Rate**:
- For reactions with negative activation energy, increasing the temperature leads to a decrease in the rate of reaction. This is counterintuitive compared to most reactions where higher temperatures accelerate the reaction.

4. **Characteristics of Reactions with Negative Activation Energy**:
- Reactions with negative activation energy tend to be very fast. They may include processes like certain types of oxidation and chain reactions, which occur rapidly and can be difficult to control.

5. **Conclusion**:
- Therefore, the key takeaway is that for reactions exhibiting negative activation energy, the rate of reaction decreases as the temperature increases. This is a unique characteristic that differentiates them from typical reactions.

### Final Answer:
The rate of reactions exhibiting negative activation energy decreases as the temperature increases.

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