rates Flashcards
What is rate?
how quickly the concentrations of reactants and products are changing.
How is rate mathematically defined?
the rate of change of [A] with respect to time.
How can you work out the rate of a reaction from a conc. against time graph?
rate of reaction at time, t, is the gradient (slope) of the tangent to the graph at time t.
What is the instantaneous rate?
rate at a specific moment in time
units of rate:
mol dm^-3 s^-1
If something is being used is the rate positive or negative?
If something is being USED its rate is NEGATIVE
If something is being formed is the rate positive or negative?
If something is being FORMED its rate is POSITIVE
Is the gradient on a concentration against time graph positive or negative and why?
Negative because the reactant is being used up.
What is an Elementary reaction?
a reaction in which the order of the reaction is governed by the stoichiometry of the reaction.
An elementary reaction is a single step process that involves one or two molecules.
What is the rate law equation?
rate = k[A]^a [B]^b
Factors affecting the rate of reaction:
the concentrations of the reactants;
the temperature of the reaction;
the intensity of radiation (if the reaction involves radiation such as light);
the particle size of a solid (related to the surface area of the solid particles);
the polarity of a solvent (for reactions in solution involving ions);
the presence of a catalyst
Two important features of elementary reactions:
The equations are actually what is going on at the molecular level
For an elementary reaction it is possible to use the chemical equation to form the rate equation - not the case for complex reactions
What does a stoichiometric (chemical) equation represent?
represents the overall reaction in terms of initial reactants and final products, but does not show how a reaction actually happens.
What is molecularity?
the molecularity of an elementary reaction is the number of molecules which come together to react
for a zero order reaction, what is the relationship between the concentration and rate?
zero order: change of concentration has no effect on rate.
for a first order reaction, what is the relationship between the concentration and rate?
First order: you double the concentration, it doubles the rate.
for a second order reaction, what is the relationship between the concentration and rate?
Second order: double the concentration, it quadruples the rate.
What is the Overall order?
the sum of the orders of reactants.
Relationship between rate and k:
The larger the value of k, the faster the reaction is.