Question

A suggested mechanism for the reaction of nitrogen dioxide and molecular fluorine is:

Step 1: NO₂⁺(g) + F₂(g) → NO₂F(g) + F(g)
Step 2: F(g) + NO₂(g) → NO₂F(g)

What are the overall products of the reaction?
a) NO₂F
b) NO₂F and F
c) NO₂ and F₂
d) NO₂, F₂ and NO₂F

Answer 1

The overall products of the reaction between nitrogen dioxide and molecular fluorine are NO₂F, as the intermediate 'F' produced in the first step is consumed in the second step (Option A).

Step-by-step explanation:

The student has asked about the overall products of a reaction between nitrogen dioxide and molecular fluorine: Step 1: NO₂⁺(g) + F₂(g) → NO₂F(g) + F(g) and Step 2: F(g) + NO₂(g) → NO₂F(g).

To determine the overall products, these steps need to be summed. Here, NO₂+ and NO₂ react with F₂ and F, respectively, to form NO₂F in both steps. The fluorine atom (F) is generated in the first step and consumed in the second step, so it doesn't appear in the final reaction equation. Therefore, the overall products of the reaction are just NO₂F.

Summing the two steps, we notice that the intermediate 'F' cancels out, and no other products besides NO₂F are formed. Hence, the answer to the question is option (a) NO₂F.

Answer 2

The overall products of the reaction of nitrogen dioxide and molecular fluorine are B. NO₂F and F.

Step-by-step explanation:

The mechanism suggests that the reaction occurs in two steps. In the first step, nitrogen dioxide reacts with molecular fluorine to form NO₂F and free fluorine. In the second step, the free fluorine reacts with nitrogen dioxide to form NO₂F.

Based on the mechanism, we can see that the overall reaction is the sum of the two elementary steps: NO₂⁺(g) + F₂(g) → NO₂F(g) + F(g) and F(g) + NO₂(g) → NO₂F(g).

Therefore the correct answer is B. NO₂F and F.