Determining if a reaction mechanism is feasible

[claudia_1h]

Can someone tell me the conditions that we use to check if a proposed reaction mechanism is possible/feasible? i.e. the conditions it must meet

[Joseph Saba]

One way is to see if the slow step rate law matches the overall rate law. Remember that no matter the substitutions u may have to make for intermediates, the rate law will have the same order no matter what.

[claudia_1h]

Remember that no matter the substitutions u may have to make for intermediates, the rate law will have the same order no matter what.

Can you explain what you mean by this?

[Jessica Chen 2C]

I’m not 100% sure but I think they mean that you should always check that the rate law has the same order. When using K to find concentrations for intermediates, it can be easy to make mistakes while substituting, so just check that it’s done right by making sure the order matches.