Maxwell–Boltzmann Distribution (Oxford AQA International A Level Chemistry)

Maxwell–Boltzmann Distribution

• A Maxwell-Boltzmann distribution curve is a graph that shows the distribution of energies at a certain temperature

  • No particles have zero energy

  • Most molecules have intermediate energies (shown by the peak of the curve)

  • The average energy of molecules is just to the right of the peak

The distribution of energies in molecules

• In a sample of a gas, a few particles will have very low energy, a few particles will have very high energy, but most particles will have energy in between

• The graph shows that only a small proportion of molecules in the sample have enough energy for an effective collision and for a chemical reaction to take place

• The energy distribution should go through the origin because there are no molecules with no energy

• The energy distribution should never meet the x axis, as there is no maximum energy for molecules

• The area underneath the curve represents the total number of particles present