Which of the following rate constants corresponds to the reaction that converts reactants to products in the least amount of time?
a. 4.48 x 10^-5 min^-1
b. 4.48 x 10^-5 s^-1
c. 0.0547 s^-1
d. 0.0547 min^-1
I see, thank you!. So it would be C right, 0.0547 s-1?
the fastest one per second is faster than the fastest one per minute :)
To determine which rate constant corresponds to the reaction that converts reactants to products in the least amount of time, we need to compare the magnitudes of the rate constants. The greater the magnitude of the rate constant, the faster the reaction.
Let's analyze the given rate constants:
a. 4.48 x 10^-5 min^-1
b. 4.48 x 10^-5 s^-1
c. 0.0547 s^-1
d. 0.0547 min^-1
First, let's convert all the rate constants to the same units for comparison. We can either convert all to minutes or all to seconds.
Converting all the rate constants to minutes:
a. 4.48 x 10^-5 min^-1
b. 4.48 x 10^-5 s^-1 × (1 min / 60 s) = 7.47 x 10^-7 min^-1
c. 0.0547 s^-1 × (1 min / 60 s) = 0.000912 min^-1
d. 0.0547 min^-1
Comparing the rate constants in minutes:
a. 4.48 x 10^-5 min^-1
b. 7.47 x 10^-7 min^-1
c. 0.000912 min^-1
d. 0.0547 min^-1
From the comparison, it is clear that option b. (4.48 x 10^-5 s^-1) corresponds to the reaction that converts reactants to products in the least amount of time because its rate constant is the smallest in magnitude. Smaller rate constants signify faster reactions.
Thus, option b. 4.48 x 10^-5 s^-1 is the correct answer.