• Question: What is your favorite method for speeding up rate of reaction?

    Asked by izzy1607 to Claire, Kate, Matt, Rob, Sam on 17 Jun 2013.
    • Photo: Sam Geen

      Sam Geen answered on 17 Jun 2013:

      I don’t do chemistry any more, but I do do a lot of computer simulations of supernovae, which are giant stars exploding. These are so hot that they can produce nuclear reactions that make heavy elements, like gold or silver. So a giant space explosion seems like a pretty neat way to speed up reactions.

    • Photo: Robert Woolfson

      Robert Woolfson answered on 17 Jun 2013:

      I have to admit, Sam’s answer is a lot cooler than mine. I just heat it up by a few degrees. A few billion degrees would be a lot more effective.

    • Photo: Matthew Pankhurst

      Matthew Pankhurst answered on 17 Jun 2013:

      Heating things up generally gets a reaction kicking along! However, the more water is dissolved in magma the more explosive it is when the water comes out as gas. So I say: just add water!

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