Rates of Reactions –

Definition of Reaction Rate

 Rates of Reactions
Topics

• Average Rate
• Calculating Average Rate
• Determining Rates from Graphs
– Instantaneous Rate
– Initial Rate

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 Rates of Reactions
Recall: Rate Experiments

• Reaction rates can be investigated by monitoring the change

in the amount of starting materials or products overtime.

Kinetics Experiment
Concentration

Reaction Time

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 Rates of Reactions
Definition

• Officially,

change in concentrat ion

[or amount] of reactants or products
rate of reaction =
time taken for this change

Unit of reaction rate is: concentration time-1

e.g. mol dm-3 s-1

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AVERAGE RATE

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 Rates of Reactions
Average Rate

• The change in the amount of material divided by time of

measurement gives the average rate over the time period
being investigated
• So, for the reaction: A --> B

[A]
Average Rate =
t

where
• Δ = large change
• [A] = concentration/mol dm -3 of reactant A.

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 Rates of Reactions
Calculating Average Rates – Example 1

• For the acid-catalysed hydrolysis reaction of the ester:

H+
CH3COOCH3 + H2O → CH3COOH + CH3OH

• If the concentration of the ester decreases from 1.00 mol dm -3

to 0.50 mol dm-3 in 1.00 hour, then the average rate of
reaction over this time interval is:

[CH 3COOCH 3 ]
Average Rate =
t
(1.00 − 0.50)mol dm -3
=
(1.00  60  60) s
= 1.39 10− 4 mol dm -3 s -1
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 Rates of Reactions
Calculating Average Rates – Example 2

• For the reaction between Mg metal and HCl:

Mg (s) + 2HCl (aq) → MgCl2 (aq) + H2 (g)
The following concentration vs. time data was obtained:
[HCl] / mol dm-3 0.8 0.6 0.4 0.2 0.1
Time / s 0 15 43 100 180

• The concentration of HCl decreases from 0.8 mol dm-3 to

0.6 mol dm-3 in the first 15 s.
• Thus, [HCl] 0.8 − 0.6
Average Rate = =
t 15
= 0.013 mol dm -3 s -1
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INSTANTANEOUS RATE

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 Rates of Reactions from Graphs
Instantaneous Rate
• Consider the reaction: A→B
where 1 mole of the reactant A produces one mole of the product B.
• The changes in concentration of reactants and products with time after
the start of the reaction is shown below:
•The rate of reaction
normally changes as the
reaction proceeds and the
reactant is gradually used up
B
•Thus one can only state the
rate of reaction at a certain
time
•This rate is called the
instantaneous rate
•The slope of the tangent to
A the curve at time t gives the
instantaneous rate
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 Rates of Reactions from Graphs
Initial Rate
• Consider the reaction: A→B
where 1 mole of the reactant A produces one mole of the product B.
• The changes in concentration of reactants and products with time after
the start of the reaction is shown below:

•The initial rate is the rate

at the start of the
B reaction when an
infinitesimally small
amount of the reactant
has been used up.
•The slope of the tangent
to the curve at time t = 0
A gives the initial rate.
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 Rates of Reactions from Graphs
Instantaneous Rate
• The decrease in the rate of reaction as the reaction proceeds and
the reactant is gradually used up is shown by the reduced slope of
the tangent at time t = t 2, t3, etc.

[A]
B

A
t2 t3 t

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 Rates of Reactions
Instantaneous Rate

• Thus, for the reaction: A → B

the instantaneous rate of the reaction at
time t is given by the rate of decrease in
the concentration of A or the rate of
increase in concentration of B:
d[A] d [ B] B
Rate = − =+
dt dt
where [A] = concentration/mol dm -3 of A.
d = infinitisimally small change
• Note that a negative sign is used to
indicate a decreasing rate while a A
positive sign is used to indicate an
increasing rate

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 Rates of Reactions
Stoichiometry
• For reactions involving more complicated mole ratios of reactants and
products: aA + bB → cC + dD
the rate is divided by the coefficient of the reactant or product in the
stoichiometric equation so that the same rate is calculated for all
species in the equation
1 d[A] 1 d[B] 1 d [C ] 1 d [ D]
Rate = − =− =+ =+
a dt b dt c dt d dt
E.g.:
• For the reaction:
• BrO3– (aq) + 5Br– (aq) + 6H+ (aq) → 3Br2 (aq) + 3H2O (l)
−
d[BrO3 ] 1 d[Br − ] 1 d[H + ] 1 d [ Br2 ] 1 d [ H 2O ]
Rate = − =− =− =+ =+
dt 5 dt 6 dt 3 dt 3 dt
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