Why do the coefficients of an elementary step equal the reaction orders of its r

Question

Why do the coefficients of an elementary step equal the reaction orders of its rate law, but those of an overall reaction do not?

a)Overall reactions are always in dynamic equilibrium while elementary steps are not.

b)This is generally not true, the coefficients cannot be used for the reaction orders of its rate law for either type of reaction.

c)An elementary step uses an average reaction rate calculation while the overall reaction uses an instantaneous rate calculation.

d)An elementary step is a single molecular event and occurs in one step, but the overall reaction is generally a series of elementary steps which are not necessarily proportional to the product of the overall reaction concentrations.

Explanation / Answer

answer is option D

Elementary reactions are one-step processes in which the reactants become the products without any intermediate steps. The reactions are unimolecular (A ? products) or bimolecular (A + B ? products). Very rarely, they could be trimolecular (A + B + C ? products), but this is not common due to the rarity of three molecules colliding at the same time.

A complex reaction is made up of several elementary reactions, with the products of one reaction becoming the reactants of the next until the overall reaction is complete.

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