## Difference between First Order Reactions and Second Order Reactions

$aR \to bP, Rate = -\frac{1}{a} \frac{d[R]}{dt} = \frac{1}{b}\frac{d[P]}{dt}$

Nathan Mariano 2G
Posts: 68
Joined: Fri Sep 28, 2018 12:29 am

### Difference between First Order Reactions and Second Order Reactions

What is the difference between first-order reactions and second-order reactions? How does that change the value of n?

Eva Guillory 2E
Posts: 44
Joined: Fri Sep 28, 2018 12:22 am

### Re: Difference between First Order Reactions and Second Order Reactions

https://chem.libretexts.org/Bookshelves/Physical_and_Theoretical_Chemistry_Textbook_Maps/Supplemental_Modules_(Physical_and_Theoretical_Chemistry)/Kinetics/Experimental_Methods/Methods_of_Determining_Reaction_Order has some useful descriptions to help differentiate them:

"In a first-order reaction, the reaction rate is directly proportional to the concentration of one of the reactants. First-order reactions often have the general form A → products."

"The simplest kind of second-order reaction is one whose rate is proportional to the square of the concentration of one reactant. These generally have the form 2A → products. A second kind of second-order reaction has a reaction rate that is proportional to the product of the concentrations of two reactants. Such reactions generally have the form A + B → products. An example of the former is a dimerization reaction, in which two smaller molecules, each called a monomer, combine to form a larger molecule (a dimer). "