Question

Consider the following reaction in aqueous solution: 5Br⁻(aq) + BrO₃⁻(aq) + 6H⁺(aq) ⟶ 3Br₂(aq) + 3H₂O(l)

a) Write the rate law for this reaction.
b) Determine the overall reaction order.
c) Explain the effect of increasing the concentration of Br⁻ on the rate of the reaction.
d) How does changing the concentration of H⁺ affect the reaction rate?

Answer 1

The rate law for this reaction is rate = k[Br⁻]⁵[BrO₃⁻][H⁺]⁶. The overall reaction order is 12. Increasing the concentration of Br⁻ will increase the rate of the reaction, while changing the concentration of H⁺ will also affect the reaction rate.

Step-by-step explanation:

a) The rate law for this reaction can be determined by looking at the coefficients of the reactants and their respective orders. In this case, the rate law is:

Rate = k[Br⁻]⁵[BrO₃⁻][H⁺]⁶

b) The overall reaction order is the sum of the individual orders. In this case, it is 5 + 1 + 6 = 12.

c) Increasing the concentration of Br⁻ will increase the rate of the reaction because Br⁻ is a reactant and its concentration is directly related to the rate of the reaction. As the concentration of Br⁻ increases, there will be more collisions between the reactant particles, leading to a higher reaction rate.

d) Changing the concentration of H⁺ will also affect the reaction rate because H⁺ is a reactant and its concentration is directly related to the rate of the reaction. Increasing the concentration of H⁺ will increase the reaction rate, while decreasing the concentration of H⁺ will decrease the reaction rate.