Modified Arrhenius Equation in Materials Science, Chemistry and Biology

Molecules. 2021 Nov 26;26(23):7162. doi: 10.3390/molecules26237162.

Abstract

The Arrhenius plot (logarithmic plot vs. inverse temperature) is represented by a straight line if the Arrhenius equation holds. A curved Arrhenius plot (mostly concave) is usually described phenomenologically, often using polynomials of T or 1/T. Many modifications of the Arrhenius equation based on different models have also been published, which fit the experimental data better or worse. This paper proposes two solutions for the concave-curved Arrhenius plot. The first is based on consecutive A→B→C reaction with rate constants k1k2 at higher temperatures and k1k2 (or at least k1 > k2) at lower temperatures. The second is based on the substitution of the temperature T the by temperature difference T - T0 in the Arrhenius equation, where T0 is the maximum temperature at which the Arrheniusprocess under study does not yet occur.

Keywords: Arrhenius equation; austenitization kinetics; crystallization kinetics; curved Arrhenius plot; curved Kissinger plot; food spoilage kinetics; growth rate of bacterial cultures; plant leaf respiration rate; temperature dependence of ant creeping; temperature dependence of heartbeat rate.