Three groups of drugs are used to reduce the stickiness of platelets, thus preventing platelets from clumping together to form platelet plugs. The anti-platelet drugs are most effective in preventing abnormal blood clots from forming in arteries (as opposed to veins). Aspirin and dipyridamoleâ (Aggrenox).
In order to react, colliding molecules must have a total kinetic energy equal to or greater than some minimum value [Figure 14.13(b)]. The minimum energy required to initiate a chemical reaction is called the activation energy, Ea. The value of Ea varies from reaction to reaction.
Thus, in a hydrogen atom (composed of an orbiting electron bound to a nucleus of one proton), an excitation energy of 10.2 electron volts is required to promote the electron from its ground state to the first excited state. A different excitation energy (12.1 electron volts) is needed to raise the electron from its ground state to the second excited state. Similarly, the protons and neutrons in atomic nuclei constitute a system that can be raised to discrete higher