Final answer:
To link the consumption of reactants and the formation of products, use the balanced chemical equation and stoichiometry. For a reaction aA + bB → cC + dD, equate the rates reflecting stoichiometric coefficients: (-1/a)(d[A]/dt) = (1/c)(d[C]/dt). This demonstrates conservation of mass and stoichiometric relationships in the chemical reaction.
Step-by-step explanation:
In chemistry, the rate of reaction refers to the speed at which reactants are converted into products. To write the equations that relate the rates of consumption of the reactants to the rates of formation of the products, one must first write out the balanced chemical equation for the reaction and then use stoichiometry to relate the changes in concentration over time.
For example, consider the generic reaction aA + bB → cC + dD, where lowercase letters represent the stoichiometric coefficients, and uppercase letters represent the chemical species. The rate of consumption of reactant A can be expressed as the rate of the reaction times the stoichiometric coefficient (-1/a)(d[A]/dt), where [A] is the concentration of A. Similarly, the rate of formation of product C is (1/c)(d[C]/dt), where [C] is the concentration of C.
By applying the law of conservation of mass and the stoichiometry of the reaction, we can equate these rates, taking into account the stoichiometric ratios, to:
- (1/a)(-d[A]/dt) = (1/b)(-d[B]/dt) = (1/c)(d[C]/dt) = (1/d)(d[D]/dt)