Molecularity

Question 1

What is the molecularity of an elementary reaction?

Answer 1

This is the number of reactant molecules involved in the transition state

Question 2

What is the molecularity of a unimolecular reaction?

Answer 2

The transition state involves just one molecule of the reactant

Question 3

In a unimolecular reaction, what are the options for the reactant molecule to form the product?

Answer 3

A bond in the reactant molecule may break to form two product molecules
Or the reactant molecule may rearrange during the reaction to form the product

Question 4

What is the molecularity of a bimolecular reaction?

Answer 4

The transition state involves two reactant molecules

Question 5

In a bimolecular reaction, what are the options for the reactant molecule to form the product?

Answer 5

As the two molecules come together, bonds break and form new bonds to give two new product molecules

Question 6

What is the difference between molecularity and the order of the reaction?

Answer 6

Reaction orders are experimentally determined from the observed kinetics of the reaction
The molecularity is a theoretical interpretation of the kinetics to explain the way in which the reaction occurs