The measure of how fast a reaction proceeds is called the reaction rate. The rate of a chemical reaction is defined by the rate law, which describes the relationship between the speed of the reaction and the reactant concentrations. In this equation, k is the rate constant, A and B are the two reactants, and m and n are their respective reaction orders.
The rate constant converts the relationship to the proper units of rate, moles per liter per second. Thus, the rate constant has different units, depending on the overall order of the reaction. However, the rate constant holds more significance than simply unit conversion. The rate constant is related to the minimum amount of energy required for a chemical reaction to occur - called the activation energy.
In a reaction, the reactants are at an initial state of potential energy. As the reaction proceeds, it must overcome a certain potential energy, the activation energy, before reaching its final state. The net energy of the reaction is the difference between the initial and final states. This difference can be negative, meaning that the reaction releases energy, or positive, meaning that it absorbs energy.
If there is not enough ene