Answer:One of the most useful applications of kinetics is the ability to use reaction rates to figure out the reaction mechanism. The reaction mechanism describes the sequence of elementary steps that occur to go from reactants to products. Let's start by considering the following reaction between nitrogen dioxide and carbon monoxide:
\text{NO}_2(g) + \text{CO}(g) \rightarrow \text{NO}(g) + \text{CO}_2(g) NO
2
(g)+CO(g)→NO(g)+CO
2
(g)start text, N, O, end text, start subscript, 2, end subscript, left parenthesis, g, right parenthesis, plus, start text, C, O, end text, left parenthesis, g, right parenthesis, right arrow, start text, N, O, end text, left parenthesis, g, right parenthesis, plus, start text, C, O, end text, start subscript, 2, end subscript, left parenthesis, g, right parenthesis
Based on the balanced reaction, we might hypothesize this reaction might occur from a single collision between a molecule of nitrogen dioxide and a molecule of carbon monoxide. In other words, we hypothesize this an elementary reaction. What is an elementary reaction?
In that case, we can use the stoichiometry of the balanced chemical reaction to predict the rate law is first order in \text{NO}_2NO
2
start text, N, O, end text, start subscript, 2, end subscript and first order in \text{CO}COstart text, C, O, end text. To test our hypothesis, we run some kinetics experiments to get the following rate law:
\text{rate} = k[\text{NO}_2]^2rate=k[NO
2
]
2
start text, r, a, t, e, end text, equals, k, open bracket, start text, N, O, end text, start subscript, 2, end subscript, close bracket, squared
Since the experimental rate law does not match our predicted rate law, we know immediately that our reaction must involve more than one step. Reactions that involve more than one elementary step are called complex reactions. We can use the rate law to get additional Facts
Step-by-step explanation: