Final answer:
Diazonium salt decomposition can be understood in terms of reaction orders. A zero-order reaction rate remains constant regardless of reactant concentrations, while first-order reactions have a half-life independent of initial concentration, and second-order reactions see rapidly decreasing rates as reactions proceed towards equilibrium.
Step-by-step explanation:
The decomposition of diazonium salts can be understood in the context of reaction orders. For a zero-order reaction, the rate is constant and independent of the concentration of the reactants; this means that the reaction rate does not change as the concentration of the reactant decreases.
For instance, the catalyzed decomposition of N₂O on a Pt surface exhibits a linear relationship between the concentration of reactants and time, a characteristic of a zero-order reaction. In contrast, the half-life of a first-order reaction is independent of the initial concentration, and during each half-life period, the concentration of the reactant decreases by half. Meanwhile, a second-order reaction rate diminishes rapidly with time due to the square dependency on the concentration of one of the reactants, and chemical equilibrium is eventually reached where the forward reaction rate equals the reverse reaction rate.