NTP stands for normal temperature and pressure, is a term used to define the physical conditions of temperature and pressure under which a chemical reaction is being carried out. The physical conditions greatly impact the progress of a chemical reaction, depending on the nature of reaction. Each reaction requires a threshold amount of energy, called the activation energy, in order to proceed and complete its course. Depending on whether the reaction is endothermic or exothermic, the increase or decrease in temperature either enhances the rate of reaction or reduces it.
A chemical reaction is a procedure that causes one group of chemical components to change chemically into another. In a chemical reaction, the atoms that make up the reactants are rearranged to produce various products. The other type of reactions involve physical changes. Physical changes and chemical reactions can easily be differentiated. State changes, such ice melting into water and water evaporating into vapour, are examples of physical changes. If a substance undergoes a physical change, its chemical identity will not change, but its physical attributes will. In contrast, a chemical reaction modifies both the substance's chemical nature and its chemical properties.
It is the speed at which the reactants are consumed or that, at which the products are produced. It can, therefore, be described in terms of either the concentration of a reactant that is consumed in a unit of time or the concentration of a product that is generated in a unit of time (amount per unit volume). You may also define it in terms of how much of the reactants are used up or how much of the products are produced in a given amount of time. For gases, it is described in terms of change of pressure of gases per unit time.
Multiple factors affect the rate of a reaction. These include:
Pressure: For gases, the concentration is measured in terms of the pressure a gas exerts.
Concentration: For aqueous solutions, the concentration is measured in terms of molarity, i.e., moles per unit volume.
Volume of vessel: This too affects the concentration of gases. Increase in volume of the container also allows gaseous particles to occupy more volume. This decreases their pressure.
Particle size: Larger particle size allows greater surface area of the reactants to interact. This increases the rate of reaction.
Temperature: The rate of reaction increases with temperature for endothermic reactions but decreases for exothermic.
Catalyst: it decreases activation energy and thus increases the rate of reaction.
The temperature of an object refers to how cold or hot it is. In chemistry, temperature can be directly related to the kinetic energy of the particles of matter. Kinetic energy, in turn, is related to the activation energy of the reaction. Therefore, each reaction requires a minimal temperature to occur, which would give the particle of the reactant the minimal activation energy. Thus, each reaction occurs at a specific set of temperature conditions. However, the reactions can be studied at a temperature different to that at which it occurs. There are some defined temperatures, like the normal body temperature, the freezing point, etc. Similarly there is a temperature defined for NTP conditions, i.e., 293.15 Kelvin.
Pressure is defined as the force per unit area. Usually, gases and vapours exert pressure in a chemical setup. The increase in pressure increases the rate of reaction in a gaseous mixture. This is because increased pressure increases concentration of gases, allowing them to collide more effectively and form products. Also, the atmospheric pressure greatly affects the boiling point of materials- it increases with increase in pressure.
A certain set of physical conditions used often are defined and termed as NTP. These conditions include 293.15 Kelvin temperature and 1 atm pressure. This also eases calculations since these can be used to calculate the third thermodynamic quantity, i.e., volume of a gas. From the ideal gas equation, we know that Pressure (P), Volume (V), Temperature (T), moles (n) and gas constant (R) can be related as . Adding the values of NTP condition and R here, we can calculate the volume V for
Therefore, the volume of one mole of any gas is 24 litres at NTP conditions
Just like NTP, another set of conditions are described under STP. The difference between the two have been listed in the table below:
Criteria | STP | NTP |
Full form | Standard Temperature and Pressure | Normal Temperature and Pressure |
Pressure conditions | 1 atm | 1 atm |
Temperature conditions | 273.15 K | 273.15 K |
Volume of one mole gas | 22.4 L | 24.0548 L |
The two conditions necessary for a successful collision include-
The particles must have the threshold activation energy
The particles must be in proper orientation that allows bond formation.
The temperature in Kelvin under NTP conditions is 293 K. Therefore, that in Fahrenheit and Celsius is 68oF and 20oC respectively.
The pressure in atm under NTP conditions is 1 atm. Therefore, that in bar and Pascal is 1.01325 bar and 101325 Pascal respectively.
The macroscopic characteristics of ideal gases are related by the ideal gas law. It is used for a gas if its particles:
(a) Do not interact with one another and
(b) Occupy no space (have no volume)
In chemistry, activation energy is the minimal amount of energy needed to bring atoms or molecules into a state where they can engage in chemical reaction. It greatly affects the possibility of a successful reaction. It can be decreased by a catalyst.