CHEMICAL KINETICS

BOARD QUESTIONS

2010

1.(a) Explain the following term:

Rate of a reaction
(b) The decomposition of phosphine, PH3, proceeds according to the following equation:
4PH3(g) P4(g) + 6H2(g)
It is found that the reaction follows the following rate equation:
Rate = k[PH3]
The half-life of PH3 is 37.9 s at 120°C
(i) How much time is required for ¾ th of PH3 to decompose ?
(ii) What fraction of the original sample of PH3 remains behind after 1 minute ?
2. Explain the following terms:
(i) Order of a reaction
(ii) Molecularity of a reaction

2011

3.(a) Express clearly what you understand by ‘rate expression’ and ‘rate constant’ of a
reaction.
(b) Nitrogen pentoxide decomposes according to the equation:
2N2O5(g) 4NO2(g) + O2(g)
This first order reaction was allowed to proceed at 40°C and the data given below were
collected:

[N2O5] M Time (min)

0.400 0.00
0.289 20.00
0.209 40.00
0.151 60.00
0.109 80.00

(i) Calculate the rate constant for the reaction. Include units with your answer.
(ii) Calculate the initial rate of reaction.
(iii) After how many minutes will [N2O5] be equal to 0.350 M.
4.(a) Define:
(i) Order of a reaction
(ii) Elementary step in a reaction
(b) A first order reaction has a rate constant value of 0.00510 min-1. If we begin with
0.01 M concentration of the reactant, how much of the reactant will remain after
3.00 hours ?
2012

5.Define the following term:

Order of a reaction
6.Consider the reaction:
2A + B C + D
Following results were obtained in experiments designed to study the rate of reaction:

Expt. No. Initial conc. (mol L-1) Initial rate of formation

[A] [B] [D] (M/min)
1 0.10 0.10 1.5 x 10-3
2 0.20 0.20 3.0 x 10-3
3 0.20 0.40 6.0 x 10-3

(a) Write the rate law for the reaction.

(b) Calculate the value of rate constant for the reaction.
(c)Which of the following possible reaction mechanisms is consistent with the rate law
found in (a).
I. A + B C + E (slow)
A + B C + E (fast)
II. B C + E (slow)
A + E F (fast)
A + F D (fast)

2013

7.The rate constant for a first order reaction is 60 s-1. How much time will it take to reduce
the initial concentration of the reactant to 1/10th of its initial value ?
8.For a chemical reaction R P, the variation in the concentration ln[R] vs time t plot is
given as:

ln[R]

t (s)
For this reaction:
(i) What is the order of the reaction ?
(ii) What is the slope of the curve ?
(iii) What is the unit of rate constant ‘k’ ?

2014

9.Define half-life of a reaction. Write the expression of half-life for:

(i) Zero order reaction
(ii) First order reaction
10.The following data were obtained during the first order thermal decomposition of SO2Cl2
at a constant volume.
SO2Cl2(g) SO2(g) + Cl2(g)

Experiment Time/s-1 Total pressure/atm

1 0 0.4
2 100 0.7

Calculate the rate constant. (Given: log 4 = 0.6021; log 2 = 0.3010)

2015

11.(a) Define the following term:

(i) Rate constant
(b) A first order reaction takes 10 minutes for 25% decomposition. Calculate t½ for the
reaction. (Given log 2 = 0.3010, log 3 = 0.4771, log 4 = 0.6021)
12.(a) For a chemical reaction R P, the variation in the concentration, ln[R] vs time (s) plot
is given as:

ln[R]

t (s)
(i) Predict the order of the reaction.
(ii) What is the slope of the curve ?
(iii) Write the unit of rate constant for this reaction.
(b) Show that the time required for 99% completion is double of the time required for the
completion of 90% reaction.

2016

13. Show that in a first order reaction, time required for completion of 99.9% is 10 times that
of half-life (t½) of the reaction.
14.Derive integrated rate equation for rate constant for a first order reaction.
15.For the first order thermal decomposition reaction, following data were obtained:
C2H5Cl(g) C2H4(g) + HCl(g)

Time/sec Total pressure/atm

0 0.30
300 0.50

Calculate the rate constant. (Given log 2 = 0.3010, log 3 = 0.4771, log 4 = 0.6021)
2017

16.(a) A first order reaction is 75% completed in 40 minutes. Calculate its t½.
(b) Predict the order of the reaction in the given plots:

t½ t½

[R]0 [R]0

Where [R]0 is the initial concentration of the reactant (Given log 2 = 0.3010,log 4 = 0.6021)
(c) The following data were obtained for the reaction:
2NO + O2 2 NO2

Experiment [NO]/M [O2]/M Initial rate of formation of

NO2/M min-1
1 0.3 0.2 7.2 x 10-2
2 0.1 0.1 6.0 x 10-3
3 0.3 0.4 2.88 x 10-1
4 0.4 0.1 2.40 x 10-2

(a) Find the order of reaction with respect to NO and O2.

(b) Write the rate law and overall order of reaction.
(c) Calculate the rate constant (k).

2018

17.For the reaction:

2N2O5(g) 4NO2(g) + O2(g)
The rate of formation of NO2(g) is 2.8 x 10-3 M s-1. Calculate the rate of disappearance of
N2O5(g).
18.A first order reaction is 50% completed in 40 minutes at 300 K and in 20 minutes at 320 K.
Calculate the activation energy of the reaction.
(Given log 2 = 0.3010, log 4 = 0.6021, R = 8.314 J K-1 mol-1)

2019

19.Consider the reaction R P, for which the change in concentration of R with time is
shown by the following graph:

conc.[R]

Time
 (i) Predict the order of reaction.
(ii) What does the slope of the curve indicate ?
20. A first order reaction takes 30 minutes for 20% decomposition. Calculate t½
(log 2 =0.3010)

2020

21.Calculate the overall order of the reaction whose rate law expression was predicted as:
Rate = k [NO]3/2 [O2]1/2
22.A reaction is first order with respect to reactant A as well as with respect to reactant B.
Give the rate law. Also give one point of difference between average rate and
instantaneous rate.
23.Calculate the overall order of reaction whose rate law is given by:
Rate = k [NH3]5/2 [O2]1/2
24. Calculate the overall order of the reaction whose rate law is given by:
Rate = k [SO2]1/4 [O2]3/4
25.(a) Visha plotted a graph between concentration of R and time for a reaction R P.
On the basis of this graph, answer the following questions:

[R0]
Conc. of R

Time

(i) Predict the order of reaction.

(ii) What does the slope of the line indicate ?
(iii) What are the units of rate constant ?
(b) A first order reaction takes 25 minutes for 25% decomposition. Calculate t½.
(Given log 2 = 0.3010, log 3 = 0.4771, log 4 = 0.6021)
26.(a) The rate constant for a first order reaction is 60 s-1. How much time will it take to
reduce the initial concentration of the reactant to its 1/16th value.
(b) Write two factors that affect the rate of a chemical reaction.

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