these breakdown processes usually happen more quickly at higher temperatures. the usually quoted rule of thumb is that chemical reactions double their rate for each temperature increase of 10 celsius degrees (c°) because of activation energy barriers become more easily surmounted at higher temperatures. however, as with all rules of thumb, there are many caveats and assumptions. this particular one is most applicable to reactions with activation energy values around 50 kj/mole; many of these are important at the usual temperatures we encounter. it is often applied in shelf life estimation, sometimes wrongly. there is a widespread impression. for instance in industry, that "triple time" can be simulated in practice by increasing the temperature by 15 c°, e.g. storing a product for one month at 35 °c simulates three months at 20 °c. there is enough variation that this practical rule cannot be routinely relied upon .