The
Arrhenius equation is a formula for the temperature dependence of
reaction rates. The equation was proposed by
Svante Arrhenius in 1889, based on the work of Dutch chemist
Jacobus Henricus van 't Hoff who had noted in 1884 that
Van 't Hoff's equation for the temperature dependence of
equilibrium constants suggests such a formula for the rates of both forward and reverse reactions. Arrhenius provided a physical justification and interpretation for the formula. Currently, it is best seen as an
empirical relationship. It can be used to model the temperature variation of diffusion coefficients, population of crystal vacancies, creep rates, and many other thermally-induced processes/reactions. The
Eyring equation, developed in 1935, also expresses the relationship between rate and energy.