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Ch.14 - Chemical Kinetics
Brown - Chemistry: The Central Science 15th Edition
Brown15th EditionChemistry: The Central ScienceISBN: 9780137542970Not the one you use?Change textbook
All textbooksBrown 15th EditionCh.14 - Chemical KineticsProblem 67c
Chapter 14, Problem 67c

What is the molecularity of each of the following elementary reactions? Write the rate law for each. (c) NO(g) + Cl2(g) → NOCl2(g)

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Determine the molecularity of the reaction by counting the number of reactant molecules involved in the elementary step.
Since the reaction involves one NO molecule and one Cl_2 molecule, it is a bimolecular reaction.
For an elementary reaction, the rate law can be written directly from the stoichiometry of the reactants.
The rate law for a bimolecular reaction involving NO and Cl_2 is: rate = k[NO][Cl_2], where k is the rate constant.
Ensure that the rate law reflects the stoichiometry of the reactants in the elementary step.

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Key Concepts

Here are the essential concepts you must grasp in order to answer the question correctly.

Molecularity

Molecularity refers to the number of reactant molecules involved in an elementary reaction. It can be classified as unimolecular (one molecule), bimolecular (two molecules), or termolecular (three molecules). Understanding molecularity is crucial for determining the rate law of a reaction, as it directly influences how the concentration of reactants affects the reaction rate.
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Elementary Reaction

An elementary reaction is a single step process in a chemical reaction mechanism where reactants convert directly to products. The rate law for an elementary reaction can be derived directly from its molecularity, as the rate is proportional to the concentration of the reactants raised to the power of their coefficients in the balanced equation. This makes elementary reactions simpler to analyze compared to complex reactions involving multiple steps.
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Rate Law

The rate law expresses the relationship between the rate of a chemical reaction and the concentration of its reactants. For an elementary reaction, the rate law can be written using the stoichiometric coefficients of the reactants. In the case of the reaction NO(g) + Cl2(g) → NOCl2(g), the rate law would be rate = k[NO][Cl2], indicating that the reaction is first order with respect to both NO and Cl2.
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Related Practice
Textbook Question

What is the molecularity of each of the following elementary reactions? Write the rate law for each. (a) Cl2(g) → 2 Cl(g)

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Textbook Question

(b) What is the difference between a unimolecular and a bimolecular elementary reaction?

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Textbook Question

What is the molecularity of each of the following elementary reactions? Write the rate law for each. (b) OCl-(aq + H2O(l) → HOCl(aq) + OH-(aq)

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Textbook Question

What is the molecularity of each of the following elementary reactions? Write the rate law for each. (b)

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Textbook Question

(a) Based on the following reaction profile, how many intermediates are formed in the reaction A→D?

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Textbook Question

What is the molecularity of each of the following elementary reactions? Write the rate law for each.

(a) 2 NO(g) → N2O2(g)

(c) SO3(g) → SO2(g) + O(g)

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