General Rate Laws

[MarissaSmith1B]

Hi! I am confused of when we are supposed to apply the general rate law equation? And in the real world where using this equation is visible?

[Stephanie_manasyan]

Hi! The rate law is used to calculate the overall order of a reaction and determine the rate in any given experiment with multiple trials as the practice questions from the syllabus. It can be applied in a real lab/research setting and is useful in kinetics. The rate of a chemical reaction is its most important property because it dictates whether a reaction can occur during a lifetime. If we know the rate law, an expression relating the rate to the concentrations of reactants, it can help a chemist adjust the reaction conditions to get a more suitable rate. Hope this helps!

[Jolene Robles 2H]

You apply the general rate law when you are looking at how concentrations have an effect on the reaction. This then helps you correlate the rate of a reaction and the concentrations being used in the reaction. You can also apply the law when you are thinking about how speed of a reaction is affected.