When I obtained the activation energy using the Arrhenius equation for a 10-minute glowstick (rapid, rigorous reaction), it was almost 4 times that of a 12-hour glowstick (slow, mild reaction).
However, I learned in chemistry that a reaction with a lower activation energy need less energy for successful collisions, therefore will have a higher reaction rate. This clearly does not hold true in my case, since a shorter 10-minute glowstick obviously has a higher reaction rate compared to that of a 12-hour glowstick(and thats why it only glows for 10 minutes).
Can anyone provide an explanation to this?
