CH:14 Chemical Kinetics

A set of flashcards covering important vocabulary and concepts related to the chemical kinetics chapter, including reaction rates, catalyst functions, rate laws, and mechanisms.

Reaction Rate

The ratio of the change in concentration to the elapsed time, measured in mol L^-1 s^-1.

Rate Law

An equation that relates the reaction rate with the concentrations of reactants raised to a power representing their order.

Catalyst

A substance that speeds up a chemical reaction by changing the reaction mechanism without being consumed.

Half-Life (t1/2)

The time it takes for the concentration of a reactant to decrease to half of its original value.

Collision Model

A theory that states for a reaction to occur, molecules must collide with sufficient energy and correct orientation.

First Order Reaction

A reaction whose rate is directly proportional to the concentration of one reactant.

Equilibrium Process

A reversible reaction where the rates of the forward and reverse reactions are equal.

Thermal Energy

The energy that is generated by the movement of particles, related to temperature and activation energy.

Activation Energy (Ea)

The minimum energy required for a reaction to occur.

Arrhenius Equation

An equation that shows the relationship between the rate constant, activation energy, and temperature.

Zeroth Order Reaction

A reaction in which the rate is independent of the concentration of the reactant.

Second Order Reaction

A reaction whose rate is proportional to the square of the concentration of one reactant or the product of the concentrations of two reactants.

Integrated Rate Law

An equation that shows how the concentration of a reactant changes with time.

Rate-Dominating Step

The slowest step in a multi-step reaction that determines the overall rate.

Elementary Step

A single step in a reaction mechanism that involves a simple transformation of reactants to products.

Differential Rate Law

An expression that relates the rate of reaction to the concentration of the reactants.

Molecularity

The number of molecules participating in an elementary step of a reaction.

Homogeneous Catalyst

A catalyst that is in the same phase as the reactants.

Heterogeneous Catalyst

A catalyst that is in a different phase than the reactants.

Reaction Mechanism

The step-by-step sequence of elementary reactions by which overall chemical change occurs.

Enzyme

A biological catalyst that speeds up chemical reactions in living organisms.

Effective Collision

A collision between molecules that results in a reaction occurring.