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Equation 1 · Part 6 · Chemical Dynamics and Catalysis in 2035: Scenarios, Signals, and Falsifiable Predictions

fraction

r∝exp⁡ ⁣(−Ea(ΔEbind)kBT)r \propto \exp\!\left(-\frac{E_a(\Delta E_{\text{bind}})}{k_B T}\right)
fraction

What this part means

Divide the expression above the line by the one below it.

Its job in the formula

The expression above the fraction bar is divided by the complete expression below it. The denominator must not be zero.

The passage around this formula

A catalyst does its work by opening a lower-energy pathway between reactants and products — typically by binding an intermediate, weakening a bond that would otherwise need more thermal energy to break, and then releasing the product so the surface is free for another cycle. The energetics of that binding step follow a well-established shape: bind too weakly and the reactant never activates; bind too strongly and the product never leaves. Plotted against binding energy, catalytic activity for a given reaction traces an inverted-U — the Sabatier principle — and the best catalysts sit as close as possible to the peak. Here the activation energy EaE_a is itself a function of the binding energy…

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Learn the underlying idea

A fraction a/b means a divided by b. The top number is the numerator; the bottom number is the denominator, and it cannot be zero.

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Sources cited in the surrounding passage

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