If the rate of a reaction is proportional to the square of the concentration of
Practice Questions
Q1
If the rate of a reaction is proportional to the square of the concentration of reactant A, what is the rate law?
rate = k[A]
rate = k[A]^2
rate = k[A]^3
rate = k[A]^0
Questions & Step-by-Step Solutions
If the rate of a reaction is proportional to the square of the concentration of reactant A, what is the rate law?
Step 1: Understand that 'rate of a reaction' refers to how fast a chemical reaction occurs.
Step 2: Recognize that 'proportional to the square of the concentration of reactant A' means that if you increase the concentration of A, the rate increases by the square of that increase.
Step 3: Write the general form of a rate law, which is: rate = k[A]^n, where k is a constant and n is the order of the reaction.
Step 4: Since the problem states that the rate is proportional to the square of the concentration of A, we set n = 2.
Step 5: Substitute n into the general form to get the specific rate law: rate = k[A]^2.
Rate Law – The mathematical relationship between the rate of a chemical reaction and the concentration of its reactants.
Proportionality – Understanding how changes in concentration affect the rate of reaction, specifically in terms of powers.
