Question

Describe at least two experiments you could perform to determine a rate law.

Short answer

Two experiments to determine a rate law are the method of initial rates and the integrated rate method. 1. Method of Initial Rates involves preparing multiple reaction mixtures with varied starting concentrations of reactants, measuring the initial rate of reaction for each mixture, and analyzing the relationship between initial reaction rates and initial concentrations to find the order of reaction and construct the rate law equation. 2. Integrated Rate Method requires measuring the concentration of one reactant or product at different time intervals during the reaction, plotting concentration data against time, determining the mathematical relationship between concentration and time to deduce the reaction order, and writing the rate law equation based on the determined rate constant and reaction order.

Step-by-step solution

1. Method of Initial Rates

The method of initial rates is a common approach to determine the rate law of a chemical reaction. This experiment involves conducting the reaction under different initial concentrations of reactants, while the other conditions are kept constant. The initial rate of reaction, which is determined by the change in the concentration of a reactant or product over a short time interval, is measured for each set of initial concentrations. These initial rates are then compared to deduce the relationship between the rate and the reactant concentrations, enabling the construction of the rate law equation. To perform the method of initial rates experiment: 1. Prepare multiple reaction mixtures with varied starting concentrations of the reactants. All other conditions, such as temperature and pressure, should remain constant. 2. Start the reaction simultaneously for each mixture and record the initial concentration of at least one reactant or product over a short time interval, which should be small enough to assume almost no depletion of reactants. 3. Calculate the initial reaction rate for each mixture using the recorded concentration data. 4. Analyze the relationship between the initial reaction rates and the initial concentrations of reactants by finding the order of reaction with respect to each reactant. 5. Write the rate law equation based on the determined reaction orders and the rate constant.

2. Integrated Rate Method

The integrated rate method is another approach to determine the rate law of a chemical reaction. This method involves measuring the change in the concentration of a reactant or product over a longer time period of the reaction. By analyzing the mathematical relationship between concentration and time, the order of the reaction with respect to a specific reactant can be determined. To perform the integrated rate method experiment: 1. Start the reaction with a known initial concentration of the reactants. All other conditions, such as temperature and pressure, should be kept constant. 2. Measure the concentration of one of the reactants or products at various time intervals throughout the reaction. It's important to collect enough data to observe the overall trend of the concentration change. 3. Plot the concentration data against time and determine the mathematical relationship between these two variables by fitting an appropriate model (e.g., linear for zero-order and first-order reactions, exponential for second-order reactions). 4. Determine the order of reaction with respect to the specific reactant based on the obtained concentration-time relationship. 5. Write the rate law equation incorporating the determined rate constant and reaction order. Both of these experimental methods can help determine the rate law of a chemical reaction. They differ in that the method of initial rates allows for more direct comparison between multiple starting concentrations of reactants, while the integrated rate method focuses on tracking the concentration of a single reactant or product over time.