Final answer:
The rate constant for the reaction A → B when [A] is 20 mM and the reaction velocity is 6 μM per minute is calculated to be 3 x 10⁻⁴ min⁻¹ using the formula k = rate / [A].
Step-by-step explanation:
To calculate the rate constant for the nonenzymatic elementary reaction A → B, we can use the rate equation, which for a simple reaction is expressed as rate = k[A], where k is the rate constant, and [A] is the concentration of reactant A. Given the reaction velocity of 6 μM B produced per minute at an initial [A] of 20 mM, we can rearrange this equation to solve for k.
The formula for calculating the rate constant is k = rate / [A]. Plugging in the values given:
k = (6 μM/min) / (20 mM)
k = (6 x 10⁻¶ M/min) / (20 x 10⁻³ M)
k = 0.3 x 10⁻³ min⁻¹
k = 3 x 10⁻⁴ min⁻¹
Hence, the rate constant k for this reaction is 3 x 10⁻⁴ min⁻¹.