Chapter 18.2, Problem 10LC

Interpretation Introduction

Interpretation: The summary of how most of the chemical reactions progress from start to finish is to be stated.

Concept Introduction: A chemical reaction is defined as the process in which the reactants are converted to products via the rearrangement of atoms and molecules.

Answer to Problem 10LC

A reaction is said to be elementary when the reactants are converted to products in a single step. Most chemical reactions consist of two or more two elementary reactions.

A reaction mechanism consists of a series of elementary reactions thus, an intermediate is a product of one step of the reaction mechanism and a reactant for the second step of the reaction mechanism.

In a multistep reaction, all the steps do not progress at the same rate, one step will be slower than the other and in this case, the slowest step will determine the rate of a reaction.

Explanation of Solution

A reaction is said to be elementary when the reactants are converted to products in a single step. Most chemical reactions consist of two or more two elementary reactions.

A reaction mechanism consists of a series of elementary reactions thus, an intermediate is a product of one step of the reaction mechanism and a reactant for the second step of the reaction mechanism.

In a multistep reaction, all the steps do not progress at the same rate, one step will be slower than the other and in this case, the slowest step will determine the rate of a reaction.