Chemical Kinetics and Reaction Mechanisms

Vocabulary flashcards covering key concepts from the lecture notes on chemical kinetics, pseudo-first order reactions, rate laws, and reaction mechanisms.

Pseudo-First Order Kinetics

Conditions where a reaction appears to be first order because the concentration of one or more reactants is in large excess, making their change in concentration negligible.

Rate Law

Expresses the relationship between the rate of a reaction and the concentrations of the reactants; rate = k[A][B]^2[C]^3.

k'

k' = k[B]^2[C]^3. Simplified rate constant under pseudo-first order conditions.

Rate Determining Step (RDS)

The slowest step in a reaction mechanism that determines the overall rate of the reaction.

Reaction Mechanism

The step-by-step process by which reactants evolve into products, often involving intermediates.

Intermediates

Species formed in one step of a reaction mechanism and consumed in a subsequent step; they do not appear in the overall balanced equation.

Experimental Rate Law

Rate = k[H2][BrCl]. Expresses the relationship between the rate of a reaction and the concentrations of the reactants.