Department of Chemical Engineering

Indian Institute of Technology Bombay

CL 605: Advanced Reaction Engineering
Tutorial 4; Wednesday, August 21, 2019

1. The rate law for formation of phosgene, COCl2, from chlorine, Cl2, carbon monoxide,
CO, has the rate law
3
2
𝑟𝐶𝑂𝐶𝑙2 = 𝑘𝐶𝐶𝑂 𝐶𝐶𝑙 2
Suggest a mechanism for this reaction that is consistent with this rate and draw the
reaction pathway. [Hint: Cl formed from the dissociation of Cl2 is one of the two active
intermediates.]

2. Show that the following scheme

𝑘1
→
𝑁2 𝑂5 𝑁𝑂2 + 𝑁𝑂3∗
←
𝑘2
𝑘3
𝑁𝑂3∗ → 𝑁𝑂∗ + 𝑂2
𝑘4
𝑁𝑂 + 𝑁𝑂3∗ → 2𝑁𝑂2
∗

Proposed by R. Ogg, J. Chem. Phys., 15, 337(1947) is consistent with, and can explain
the observed first order decomposition of 𝑁2 𝑂5.

3. Ozone is a reactive gas that has been associated with respiratory illness and decreased
lung function. The following reactions are involved in ozone formation
𝑘1
𝑁𝑂2 + ℎ𝜈 → 𝑁𝑂 + 𝑂
𝑘2
𝑂2 + 𝑂 + 𝑀 → 𝑂3 + 𝑀
𝑘3
𝑂3 + 𝑁𝑂 → 𝑁𝑂2 + 𝑂2
𝑁𝑂2 is primarily generated by combustion in the automobile engine.
Show that the steady state concentration of ozone is directly proportional to NO2 and
inversely proportional to NO.

4. Beef catalase has been used to accelerate the decomposition of hydrogen peroxide to
yield water and oxygen. The concentration of hydrogen peroxide is given as a function
of time for a reaction mixture with a pH of 6.76 maintained at 30℃.
a. Determine the Michaelis-Menten parameters Vmax and Km
b. If the total enzyme concentration is tripled, what will the substrate concentration
be after 20 min?
Time(min) 0 10 20 50 100
𝑚𝑜𝑙 0.02 0.01775 0.0158 0.0106 0.005
𝐶𝐻2 𝑂2 ( )
𝐿

1
5. The following data on Baker’s yeast in a particular medium at 23.4℃ and various
oxygen partial pressures were obtained:
𝑃𝑂2 𝑄𝑂2 (no sulfanilamide) 𝑄𝑂2 (20 mg sulfanilamide/mL added to medium)
0.0 0.0 0.0
0.5 23.5 17.4
1.0 33.0 25.6
1.5 37.5 30.8
2.5 42.0 36.4
3.5 43.0 39.6
5.0 43.0 40.0
𝑃𝑂2 = oxygen partial pressure, mmHg; 𝑄𝑂2 = oxygen uptake rate, µL of 𝑂2per hour per
mg of cells.
a. Calculate the 𝑄𝑂2 maximum (Vmax), and the Michaelis-Menten constant KM.
b. Using the Lineweaver-Burk plot, determine the type of inhibition sulfanilamide
that causes O2 to uptake.

6. The bacteria X-II can be described by a simple Monod equation with µmax = 0.8 h -1
and Ks = 4 g/lt., YP/C = 0.2 g/g and YS/C = 2 g/g. The process is carried out in a CSTR in
which the feed rate is 1000 lt/h at a substrate concentration of 10 g/lt.
a. What size fermentor is needed to achieve 90% conversion of the substrate?
What is the exit cell concentration?
b. Determine, if possible, the volumetric flow rate at which wash-out occurs and
also the flow rate at which the cell production rate (Cc*v0) is a maximum.

7. Glucose-to-ethanol fermentation is to be carried out in a batch reactor using organism

such as saccharomyces cerevisiae. Form a set of differential equations that can be
solved to get concentration of cells, substrate and product as a function of time. The
initial cell concentration is 1 g/lt and substrate concentration is 250 g/lt.
𝐶𝑝∗ = 93 g/lt; YC/S = 0.08 g/g; n = 0.52; YP/S = 0.45 g/g; µmax = 0.33 h-1; YP/C = 5.6g/g; Ks =
1.7 g/lt; Kd = 0.01 h-1; m = 0.03 (g substrate)/(g cells.time)

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