Question

What is the rate-determining step in the reaction 8H+ + 2NO3¯ + 3Cu → 2NO + 3Cu^2+ + 4H2O?

a) Formation of NO from NO3¯
b) Formation of H2O from H+
c) Formation of Cu^2+ from Cu
d) Formation of Cu from Cu^2+

Answer 1

The rate-determining step in the reaction given is the a) Formation of NO from NO3¯, as it is likely the slowest step, controlling the overall reaction rate.

Step-by-step explanation:

The rate-determining step in the reaction 8H+ + 2NO3¯ + 3Cu → 2NO + 3Cu^2+ + 4H2O is (a) Formation of NO from NO3¯. This can be inferred because the rate-determining step is usually the slowest step in a reaction mechanism and has the highest activation energy, thus controlling the overall reaction rate. Given the reaction information about nitric acid preparation from ammonia, it is indicated that the conversion of nitric oxide (NO) forms a bottleneck. By applying these insights to the given reaction, we can conclude that the formation of NO from NO3¯ is most likely the rate-determining step. The steps involving H2O and Cu are usually faster and do not determine the overall reaction rate.