Reaction Rates and Mechanisms Flashcards

Flashcards on reaction rates and mechanisms.

Rate Law Equation

Provides a quantitative description of how the concentration of reactants affects the rate of reaction.

Zero Order Reactants

Reactant concentration does not appear to affect the reaction rate.

One-Step (Elementary Step) Reactions

Reactions that involve the direct collision of reactants and cannot be explained in simpler steps.

Multi-Step Reactions

Chemical reactions that occur as a series of simpler steps.

Reaction Mechanism

The series of elementary steps by which the overall reaction occurs.

Reaction Intermediate

Species that are produced in one step of a reaction mechanism and consumed in a subsequent step.

Rate Determining Step

The slowest elementary step in a reaction mechanism, which determines the overall reaction rate.

Catalyst

A substance that speeds up a reaction without being consumed in the process.

CFCs

Chlorofluorocarbons, compounds that break up in the presence of ultraviolet radiation, forming single chlorine atoms, which then react with ozone.

Overall reaction

The sum of all the steps in a reaction mechanism.