I don't know how to approach this question? I need help

enter image source here

1 Answer
Aug 10, 2018

#sf("d".)# #"Rate" = k["SO"_2]["H"_2]#

Explanation:

The question is asking for the order of the reaction about each reactant given data from the table supplies the following correlations:

  • Doubling #["SO"_2]# while holding #["H"_2]# constant doubles #"Rate"#;
  • Holding #["H"_2]# constant while doubling #["SO"_2]# doubles #"Rate"#.

Where #["SO"_2]# and #["H"_2]# represent the concentration of the two respective species, as your chemistry teacher has likely mentioned during classes.

Now back to the question: the key is to find an exponential relationship that properly satisfies all (or both, as in this question) arithmetic correlations the question has implied. For this particular case:

  • #1^color(navy)(1) xx 1^color(navy)(1) = 1#
  • #2^color(navy)(1) xx 1^color(navy)(1) = 2#
  • #2^color(navy)(1) xx 2^color(navy)(1) = 4#

The exponent #color(navy)(1)# is typically omitted in many expressions. Thus the rate law for this reaction given these data would be

#"Rate" = k["SO"_2]^color(navy)(1) ["H"_2]^color(navy)(1)#

... where #k# the rate constant unique to this reaction and dependent on temperature.

As a side note, the cardinal number that corresponds to the exponent of a particular reactant identifies the order of that species in the reaction, for instance

  • A reaction is of "zero" order about a reactant with exponent #0# omitted (or in other words included as part of the constant #k#) in the rate law expression
  • A reaction is of "first" order about a reactant with exponent #1#, as in this case for both reactants
  • A reaction is of "second" order about a reactant with exponent #2#

Reactions of orders higher than two are rare given the unlikelihood for three microscopic particles to collide simultaneously.