kinetics summary

Question

A reaction involves T as one of the reactants. Following the change in concentration of T over time yields the graph below. What does the graph tell us about the rate of the reaction with respect to T?

Answer 1

So Margie C.,

You inspect your graph for conformance with typically either f(T) = T₀ * e^-kt (for first order), with k/t (for second order), with k/t^2 (third order), and so on. When you differentiate the respective functions for each of these behaviors, you get expressions which you can relate to the instantanteous concentration of T, or of T^2, etc., i.e. the instantaneous rate of change is proportional to some power of the instantaneous concentration of T. That's what the order means.

-- Cheers, --Mr. d.