Final answer:
To write equations for the rates of consumption of reactants and formation of products, identify the balanced chemical equation and use the stoichiometric coefficients to relate the changes in concentration over time.
Step-by-step explanation:
To write the equations that relate the rates of consumption of the reactants and the rates of formation of the products in a chemical reaction, one must first identify the balanced chemical equation for the reaction. For a general reaction A + B → C + D, where A and B are reactants and C and D are products, the rate of consumption of A is proportional to the rate of formation of C based on their stoichiometric coefficients.
If we let '[A]', '[B]', '[C]', and '[D]' represent the concentrations of A, B, C, and D, respectively, and 'a', 'b', 'c', and 'd' represent their stoichiometric coefficients, the rate equations can be written as:
- Rate of consumption of A = -1/a × (d[A]/dt)
- Rate of consumption of B = -1/b × (d[B]/dt)
- Rate of formation of C = 1/c × (d[C]/dt)
- Rate of formation of D = 1/d × (d[D]/dt)
It is important to note that the rates of consumption are given negative values because the concentration of the reactants decreases over time, while the rates of formation are positive because the concentration of the products increases over time.