What is the primary effect of diluting a solution on reaction rate?

When a solution is diluted, the concentration of the reactants decreases. According to the principles of reaction kinetics, the rate of a chemical reaction is generally dependent on the concentration of the reactants. As the concentration decreases due to dilution, there are fewer reactant molecules available to collide with each other.

This reduction in the number of effective collisions leads to a decrease in the rate at which the products are formed. In many cases, especially for reactions that follow the law of mass action, the reaction rate is directly proportional to the concentration of the reactants. Therefore, as the reactants are diluted, the overall reaction rate diminishes, leading to a slower progression of the reaction.

It’s also important to recognize that there are specific conditions under which certain reactions may behave differently, but the general trend in the context of dilution is that it decreases the reaction rate due to the lower concentration of reactants.