Activation energy
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In the Arrhenius model of reaction rates, activation energy is the minimum amount of energy that must be available to reactants for a chemical reaction to occur. The activation energy of a reaction is
The sparks created by striking steel against a piece of flint provide the activation energy to initiate combustion in this Bunsen burner. The blue flame sustains itself after the sparks stop because the continued combustion of the flame is now energetically favorable.
Svante Arrhenius
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Svante August Arrhenius was a Swedish scientist. Originally a physicist, but often referred to as a chemist, Arrhenius was one of the founders of the science of physical chemistry. In 1903, he receive
Activation energy
…than this barrier, which usually requires sufficiently high temperature. The term "activation energy" was introduced in 1889 by the Swedish scientist Svante Arrhenius. Although less commonly used, activation energy also applies to nuclear reactions and various other physical phenomena…
Arrhenius in 1909
Lehrbuch der kosmischen Physik, 1903
Arrhenius family grave in Uppsala
Arrhenius at the first Solvay conference on chemistry in 1922 in Brussels