How to determine the order of a reaction by the initial rates method?
How to determine the order of a reaction? Determining the form of the Rate Law (Order of Reaction) by the method of Initial Rates Home > Rate of a Chemical Reaction - Chemical Kinetics > Rates of Chemical Reactions and the Collision Model > How to determine the order of a reaction by the initial rates method? How to determine the order of a reaction by the initial rates method? A rate law is an expression which shows how the rate of a reaction depends on the concentrations of reactants. For the decomposition of NO 2 we can write: 2NO 2 (g) → 2NO(g) + O 2 (g) Rate = k [NO 2 ] n (Rate Law) k is the rate constant and n is the order of reaction (n can be positive or negative, integer or fraction) Both k and n must be determined experimentally. For the general reaction: aA + bB → cC + dD (1) the rate law is given by: Rate = k. [A] m [B] n (2) There are two types of rate laws: The differential rate law shows h