EN 571 Homework 3

Solve the problems in MATLAB Grader (https://grader.mathworks.com/)

March 7, 2021

1. Problem
A general species A at the initial concentration (ca,0 ) of 1 mol/L is introduced into a reactor at 40 ◦ C, where
it reacts to the product R according to the irreversible single-step elementary reaction:

A −→ B.

The concentration of A (ca ) in the reactor is monitored at various times and the results are:

Table 1: Concentration of A over time.

time, min 0 100 200 300 400
ca , mol/m3 1000 500 333 250 200

1) Write the rate law of the reaction considering a rate constant equal to 0.0052 1/min; 2) half-life time
(t = t 21 ) of the reaction; 2) the conversation of A after 6 hours from the beginning of the reaction; 3)
considering an activation energy (Ea ) of 4,500 J/mol, which is the rate constant at 80 ◦ C?

2. Problem
In the water softening reactor, the following precipitation reaction occurs:

A + B ←→ C.

The forward rate constant (k1 ) is equal to 0.01 mol−1 min−1 and the solubility product is equal to 102 . The
initial concentrations for A, B, and C are, respectively: 1, 2, and 0 mol/L. Determine: 1) the order of the
overall reaction; 2) the rate constant of the dissolution reaction (i.e., backward reaction); 3) write the rate
law for the production of C considering limiting concentration of A and B, solve it numerically; and 4) the
amount of precipitate after 2 hours of reaction assuming 1 L reactor.