## Determining the Order of a Reaction

$\frac{d[R]}{dt}=-k[R]^{2}; \frac{1}{[R]}=kt + \frac{1}{[R]_{0}}; t_{\frac{1}{2}}=\frac{1}{k[R]_{0}}$

chrisavalos-2L
Posts: 63
Joined: Fri Sep 28, 2018 12:18 am

### Determining the Order of a Reaction

I was wondering how to determine the overall order of a reaction? I remember my TA saying that the sum of the reactions powers is the overall order... but how do we determine is it is zero, first or second order from this?

Jonathan Zhao 4H
Posts: 57
Joined: Fri Sep 28, 2018 12:26 am

### Re: Determining the Order of a Reaction

Most of the time, you will have to find the order of the reaction by testing the different graphs given in lecture and seeing which one is linear.

Carlos De La Torre 2L
Posts: 60
Joined: Tue Oct 09, 2018 12:16 am

### Re: Determining the Order of a Reaction

You find the order of the individual reactants, which can be found based on the information given, then adding up all the orders tells you the order of the overall reactant.

Charles Gu 1D
Posts: 60
Joined: Fri Sep 28, 2018 12:16 am

### Re: Determining the Order of a Reaction

The overall order of the reaction can be found by adding all of the exponential factors of each reactant. For example, if Rate=k[H][C], then it would be a second order reaction since each reactant only has a 1 in their exponent