13.5 Chemical Kinetics Flashcards
What do we mean by the mechanism of a reaction? What is an elementary step? What is the molecularity of a reaction?
A reaction mechanism is the sequence of elementary steps that lead le to product formation
Elementary stepped (elementary rxns) are a series of simple rxns that represent the progress of the overall rxn at the molecular level.
Molecularity of a rxn is the number of molecules reacting in an elementary step
What is the rate-determining step? Give an everyday analogy to illustrate the meaning “rate determining”
The rate-determining step is the slowest step in the sequence of steps leading to the formation of products
Eg: assuming the cars can’t pass one another on the road, the rate at which the cars travel is governed by the slowest-moving car
