Advanced Physical Chemistry

Diamonds aren't forever. They're just very, very slow.

Thermodynamics says diamond should turn into graphite. Kinetics says it would take far longer than the age of the universe. Physical chemistry asks both questions: will it happen, and how fast? Twenty questions, each explained, then speed up and slow down a reaction yourself. No sign-up, nothing saved.

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QUESTION 1 / 20 · ENERGETICSEasy

An exothermic reaction…

REACTION-RATE LAB · ARRHENIUS EQUATION

Make a reaction go faster

Molecules must collide with enough energy to get over a hill, the activation energy. Heat gives more of them that energy; a catalyst lowers the hill. Change both and see how the half-life responds.

ENERGY PROFILE

Eₐ 80 kJ/mol

reactantsproducts

CONCENTRATION OF REACTANT OVER TIME

Dashed grey: the same reaction at 298 K without a catalyst.

Temperature298 K · 25 °CActivation energy (uncatalysed)80 kJ/mol

7.3 shalf-life

0.0948 s⁻¹rate constant k

2.9×rate gain per +10 K

A 10 K rise here multiplies the rate by 2.9×. This is the reference reaction.

A first-order reaction with pre-exponential factor A = 10¹³ s⁻¹: k = A·e^(−Eₐ/RT), t½ = ln 2 / k. The catalyst lowers Eₐ by 30 kJ/mol. Real values depend on the reaction.

What this physical chemistry test covers, in short

Twenty multiple-choice questions at first-year university level, four on each of five topics: energetics, kinetics, equilibrium, electrochemistry, and spectroscopy and quantum chemistry.

It builds on the thermodynamics test and the general chemistry test. This test is our own and not normed.

By What's Your IQ · Reviewed 5 Oct 2026

Format: 20 multiple-choice questions
Level: First-year university
Bonus: Arrhenius reaction-rate lab
Key equation: ΔG = ΔH − TΔS

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Thermodynamics testEntropy, heat engines and the gas piston lab.

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Quantum physics testThe physics behind spectroscopy.

Diamonds aren't forever. They're just very, very slow.

An exothermic reaction…

Make a reaction go faster

What this physical chemistry test covers, in short

Keep going

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