A student collected concentration data to determine the rate of the decomposition of N2O5 to NO2 and O2. The data were recorded in the table below. What is the rate law of this reaction?
k[N2O5]
k[N2O5]2
k
k[NO2]
something is missing.
To determine the rate law of the reaction, we need to analyze the given data and observe how the rate of the reaction depends on the concentration of each reactant.
Looking at the table, we see that the data is presented in a format where the rate of the reaction is given in terms of the concentration of a reactant multiplied by an unknown constant (k). This indicates that the reaction follows the form of a general rate law equation, where the rate is proportional to the concentration of a reactant raised to a certain power.
Let's analyze each row of data to determine the rate law expression:
In the first row: Rate = k[N2O5]
In the second row: Rate = k[N2O5]^2
In the third row: Rate = k
In the fourth row: Rate = k[NO2]
By comparing the rate expressions for each row, we can determine the rate law equation by finding the relationship between the rate and the concentration of each reactant.
Comparing the first and third row, we see that the rate changes only with the concentration of N2O5 while keeping the concentration of the other reactant steady. This suggests that the rate depends only on the concentration of N2O5, not on the concentration of any other reactant. Therefore, the overall rate law expression is rate = k[N2O5].
The rate law of this reaction is rate = k[N2O5].