A reactant is found to have an order of zero in a chemical reaction. What would be the effect on the rate if the concentration of that reactant were decreased by half?
a) The rate would double
b) The rate would quadruple
c) The rate would decrease by half
d) The rate would increase in an unpredictable way
e) The concentration has no effect on the rate
e) The concentration has no effect on the rate
what is the final and correct answer?
The correct answer is a) The rate would double.
To determine the effect of decreasing the concentration of a reactant with an order of zero on the rate of a chemical reaction, we need to understand the concept of reaction order.
The reaction order defines how the rate of a reaction is affected by the concentration of the reactants. It can be determined experimentally by monitoring the rate of reaction while varying the concentration of the reactants.
In the case of a reactant with an order of zero, it means that its concentration does not affect the rate of the reaction. Regardless of the concentration of this reactant, the reaction rate remains constant.
Therefore, if we decrease the concentration of a reactant with an order of zero by half, it would have no effect on the rate of the reaction. The answer is e) The concentration has no effect on the rate.