Chapter 17, Problem 17B.8P

Interpretation Introduction

Interpretation: The rate constant and half-life of decomposition of ${\text{N}}_{\text{2}}{\text{O}}_{\text{5}}$ has to be determined.

Concept introduction:

Order of a reaction:  Order of a reaction is represented by the exponential term of the respective reactant present in the rate law and the overall order of the reaction is the sum of all the exponents of all reactants present in the chemical reaction. The order of the reaction is directly proportional to the concentration of the reactants.

For a reaction,

• If the plot drawn between concentration of reactant and time is linear, then it is a zeroth order reaction
• If the plot drawn between ln[reactant] and time is linear, then it is a first order reaction
• If the plot drawn between 1/[reactant] and time is linear, then it is a second order reaction
• For the zeroth and first order reaction, the graph has a negative slope whereas the graph has a positive slope for a second order reaction.

Rate constant, k: The rate constant for a chemical reaction is the proportionality term in the chemical reaction rate law which gives the relationship between the rate and the concentration of the reactant present in the chemical reaction.