Reaction Kinetics Flashcards
Rate Equation
The rate equation for a reaction is a mathematical expression that shows the exact dependence of the reaction rate on the concentrations of all the reactants.
It relates the rate of reaction to the concentration of each reactant raised to the appropriate power.
Rate of a reaction
The rate of a reaction refers to the change in concentration of a reactant or product per unit time.
Rate constant
The rate constant k of a reaction is the constant of proportionality in the rate equation of the reaction.
It is constant for a particular reaction at a given temperature.
order of reaction with respect to a given reactant
The order of reaction with respect to a given reactant is the power to which the concentration of that reactant is raised in the rate equation.
overall order of a reaction
The overall order of a reaction is the sum of the powers of the concentration terms in the rate equation.
first-order reaction
A first-order reaction is one in which the rate of the reaction is directly proportional to the concentration of a
single reactant raised to the power of one i.e. rate α [A] where A is the reactant.
half-life
The half-life of a reaction is the time taken for the concentration of a reactant to decrease to half its initial
concentration.
rate-determining step
The rate-determining step is the slowest step in the reaction mechanism of a multi-step reaction and it determines the overall reaction rate. It is the step with the highest activation energy.
activation energy
The activation energy of a reaction is the minimum amount of energy that the reactant particles must possess before they can collide to result in a reaction.
