Chapter 13: Chemical Kinetics Flashcards
Activated Complex
the species temporarily formed by the reactant molecules as a result of the collision before they form the product
Activation Energy (Ea)
the minimum amount of energy required to initiate a chemical reaction
Bimolecular Reaction
an elementary step that involves two molecules
Catalyst
a substance that increases the rate of a chemical reaction without itself being consumed
Chemical Kinetics
the area of chemistry concerned with the speeds, or rates at which chemical reactions occur
Elementary Step
A series of simple reactions that represent the progress of the overall reaction at the molecular level
Enzyme
a biological catalyst
First-order Reaction
a reaction whose rate depends on reactant concentration raised to the first power
Half-life (t 1/2)
the time required for the concentration of a reactant to decrease to half of its initial concentration
Intermediate
a species that appears in the mechanism of the reaction (that is, the elementary steps) but not in the overall balanced equation
Molecularity of a reaction
the number of molecules reacting in an elementary step
Rate constant (k)
constant of proportionality between the reaction rate and the concentrations of reactants
Rate-determining step
the slowest step in the sequence of steps leading to the formation of products
Rate Law
an expression relating to the rate of a reaction to the rate constant and the concentrations of the reactants
Reaction mechanism
the sequence of elementary steps that leads to product formation
