Chemistry Mechanisms and Reaction Rates

A set of flashcards covering key vocabulary and concepts related to reaction mechanisms, activation energy, and rate laws for chemistry.

Intermediate

A species that is formed during the course of a reaction but is not a reactant or product in the overall reaction.

Activation Energy

The minimum amount of energy required for a chemical reaction to occur.

Molecularity

The number of molecules involved in a single reaction step.

Bottleneck

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

Rate Determining Step

The elementary step in a reaction mechanism that has the highest activation energy and thus determines the overall rate of the reaction.

Potential Energy Diagram

A graphical representation of the energy changes during the course of a reaction, showing reactants, intermediates, and products.

Elementary Step

A simple reaction step in a reaction mechanism that describes a single molecular event.

Rate Law

An equation that relates the rate of a reaction to the concentration of the reactants.

Chemical Equation

A symbolic representation of a chemical reaction showing reactants and products.

Balanced Equation

An equation in which the number of atoms for each element is the same on both sides of the reaction.