Chemistry 30 Chemical Kinetics

Nitrogen monoxide reacts with hydrogen gas to produce nitrogen gas and water vapour. The mechanism is believed to be:

Step 1:	2 NO → N₂O₂
Step 2:	N₂O₂ + H₂ → N₂O + H₂O
Step 3:	N₂O + H₂ → N₂ + H₂O

For this reaction find the following:

the overall balanced equation
any reaction intermediates

Solution

To find the overall balanced equation, cross out substances that appear in equal numbers on both sides of the reaction and add together like items on the same side of the equation:

Step 1:	2 NO → N₂O₂
Step 2:	N₂O₂ + H₂ → N₂O + H₂O
Step 3:	N₂O + H₂ → N₂ + H₂O

Net Reaction:	2 NO + 2 H₂ → N₂ + 2 H₂O

To identify the reaction intermediates, look for substances that first appear on the product side of the equation, but then appear in the next step as a reactant. In this example there are two reaction intermediates - N₂O₂ and N₂O.

Give two reasons why most molecular collisions do not lead to a reaction.

Solution:

The collision may not have

the correct orientation or
the necessary energy.

An important function for managers is to determine the rate-determining steps in their business processes. In a certain fast-food restaurant, it takes 3 minutes to cook the food, 1.5 minutes to wrap the food, and 5 minutes to take the order and make change. How would a good manager assign the work to four employees?

Solution:

Assign two workers to take the orders since that is the rate determining step.

Return to notes

Chemistry 30

Chemical Kinetics

Teacher Resources

Other Links