To answer the question of how to speed up the collisions between calcium hydroxide [tex]\((Ca(OH)_2)\)[/tex] and carbon dioxide [tex]\((CO_2)\)[/tex] molecules to produce calcium carbonate [tex]\((CaCO_3)\)[/tex] faster, let's analyze the provided options:
### 1. Lower the temperature
Lowering the temperature generally slows down molecular movement, leading to fewer collisions and slower reaction rates. Therefore, this option would not be effective in speeding up the reaction.
### 2. Use larger pieces of calcium hydroxide
Using larger pieces of calcium hydroxide would decrease the surface area available for the reaction, slowing down the reaction rate. Smaller pieces or powdered forms would be more effective in increasing the reaction rate due to a greater surface area. Thus, this option is also not suitable for speeding up the reaction.
### 3. Lower the pressure
Lowering the pressure will decrease the number of molecules per unit volume. This will lead to fewer collisions between the reactant molecules, which in turn slows down the reaction. Therefore, lowering the pressure is not a good option to speed up the reaction.
### 4. Reduce the volume of the container
Reducing the volume of the container increases the pressure inside the container, which leads to a higher concentration of carbon dioxide molecules. This increased concentration results in more frequent collisions between [tex]\(Ca(OH)_2\)[/tex] and [tex]\(CO_2\)[/tex] molecules, thereby speeding up the reaction rate.
### Conclusion
The most effective way to speed up the collisions between calcium hydroxide and carbon dioxide molecules and thus produce calcium carbonate faster is to reduce the volume of the container.
Thus, the correct option is:
- Reduce the volume of the container.
