Kinetics Flashcards
what do chemical reactions normally depend on?
the concentrations of the reactants
how can the order of reaction with respect to each reactant be determined?
by changing the concentration of each reactant individually
what does the order of reaction relate to?
the rate of reaction for each reacting species
how is each reactant analysed in a reaction?
by comparing the effect of concentration changes on the reaction rate
what is the rate constant and how is it represented?
it is represented by a small letter k
what happens in a zero-order reaction when the concentration is doubled?
no effect on the rate of reaction
what happens in a first-order reaction when the concentration is doubled?
the reaction rate doubles
what happens in a second-order reaction when the concentration is doubled?
the rate of reaction quadruples
how is a first-order reaction expressed?
rate = k[A]
how is a second-order reaction expressed?
rate = k[C]2
how do you calculate the overall order of reaction?
by summing the powers to which reactant concentrations are raised in the rate law
how can the order of reaction be determined?
only through experimental data
what is the general form of the rate law?
rate = k[A]x[B]y
how can the rate constant k be calculated?
k = rate / [A]ˣ[B]ʸ
what factors do not affect the rate constant?
changing reactant concentration
what factors do affect the rate constant?
temperature and catalysts
what is a reaction mechanism?
a series of steps through which a reaction occurs
what determines the rate of reaction in a mechanism?
the slowest step, known as the rate-determining step
how can reaction mechanisms be determined?
from experimentally determined rate equations
graph for concentration vs time
graph for rate vs concentration
