If the rate law of a chemical reaction is k[NH4+]2[NO2–], what is the order of the reaction?
1. The order of the reaction cannot be determined.
2. 3
3. 1
4. 2
I know that the order for NH4+ should be 2 and NO2- should be 1. Does that make it 3?
yes. 2+1 = 3
Yes, you are correct. In this case, the rate law of the chemical reaction is given as k[NH4+]²[NO2-], where the exponents (2 and 1) represent the order of the respective reactants.
The order of the reaction is determined by summing up the orders of all the reactants in the rate law expression. Here, the order of NH4+ is 2 and the order of NO2- is 1.
Therefore, the overall order of the reaction is obtained by summing the orders of NH4+ and NO2-, which is 2 + 1 = 3.
Hence, option 2, "3", is the correct answer.