Final answer:
Collisions with less energy than the activation energy cannot produce product molecules because such energy is required to overcome the energy barrier for a reaction to occur. The success of the formation of new products also depends on factors such as temperature and molecular orientation during collisions.
Step-by-step explanation:
Collisions with less energy than the activation energy cannot produce product molecules. The concept of activation energy (Ea) is vital to understanding chemical reactions. It is the minimum energy necessary to break initial bonds and form new ones during a reaction. For a reaction to proceed, reactant particles must collide with sufficient energy; otherwise, the particles simply bounce off each other without any reaction taking place.
Several factors contribute to whether a collision will be successful in producing a reaction. These include the kinetic energy of the molecules, their orientation upon collision, and the overall supply of energy to the reactants. Even if the correct orientation is achieved during a collision, without the necessary activation energy, no activated complex or transition state will form, and thus no product will result.
Temperature plays a significant role in reaction rates as well. Higher temperatures increase the kinetic energy of particles, leading to more forceful collisions and a greater chance of exceeding the activation energy. In other words, at higher temperatures, a greater number of molecules will have enough energy to undergo the reaction.