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How does the rate of reaction vary with changes in the concentration of reactants and products in a given reaction mechanism?

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ago by (139k points)
The rate of a chemical reaction is influenced by the concentration of reactants and products in the reaction mixture. This relationship is described by the rate law, which is an equation that relates the rate of the reaction to the concentrations of the reactants and products.In general, the rate law for a reaction can be written as:Rate = k[A]^m[B]^nwhere Rate is the reaction rate, k is the rate constant, [A] and [B] are the concentrations of reactants A and B, and m and n are the reaction orders with respect to A and B, respectively. The reaction orders  m and n  are determined experimentally and indicate how the rate of the reaction is affected by changes in the concentration of the reactants.1. If the reaction order is positive  m > 0 or n > 0 , an increase in the concentration of the reactant will lead to an increase in the reaction rate. This is because there are more reactant molecules available to collide and react with each other, increasing the probability of successful collisions and thus the rate of the reaction.2. If the reaction order is zero  m = 0 or n = 0 , the rate of the reaction is not affected by changes in the concentration of the reactant. This means that the reaction rate remains constant regardless of the concentration of the reactant.3. If the reaction order is negative  m < 0 or n < 0 , an increase in the concentration of the reactant will lead to a decrease in the reaction rate. This is less common and typically occurs in more complex reaction mechanisms.It is important to note that the rate law only considers the reactants, not the products. However, the concentration of products can indirectly affect the rate of the reaction by shifting the equilibrium position. If the reaction is reversible, an increase in the concentration of products can cause the reverse reaction to occur at a faster rate, which may decrease the overall rate of the forward reaction.In summary, the rate of a reaction is influenced by the concentration of reactants and, to some extent, products. The relationship between the reaction rate and the concentrations of reactants is described by the rate law, which is determined experimentally. The reaction orders in the rate law indicate how the rate of the reaction is affected by changes in the concentration of the reactants.
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