Is the energy of the compounds higher or lower before the formation of an activated complex?

The energy of the activated complex is higher than that of either the reactants or products, which makes the activated complex unstable and temporary. If there isn't enough energy for the activated complex to form the products, it eventually breaks apart into the reactants

Reaction 2 is 2.333 times faster than reaction 1.

Explanation:

The reaction rate is measured considering the concentration of reactant used or product made and the time interval. This can be expressed in the following equation:

Therefore, the higher the concentration of reactant used, the faster the reaction will be. If we consider that both Reaction 1 and Reaction 2 happen during the same time interval (Δt), we can express their rates:

Dividing R2 per R1:

Thus, Reaction 2 is 2.333 times faster than Reaction 1.