An elementary reaction is a single-step process in which reactants directly form products without any intermediates. Each elementary reaction has its own specific rate law that depends only on the concentration of the reactants involved.
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The molecularity of an elementary reaction refers to the number of reacting species involved in a single step (e.g., unimolecular, bimolecular).
Elementary reactions have rate laws that are directly proportional to the product of the concentrations of the reactants raised to their stoichiometric coefficients.
A reaction mechanism is often composed of multiple elementary reactions that describe the overall process.
In an elementary reaction, the order of the reaction matches its molecularity.
$k$ represents the rate constant for an elementary reaction and can be influenced by temperature and catalysts.
Review Questions
What distinguishes an elementary reaction from a complex reaction?
How does molecularity relate to the rate law of an elementary reaction?
Why do elementary reactions have rate laws that match their stoichiometric coefficients?
The number of molecules or atoms colliding in an elementary step (unimolecular, bimolecular, or termolecular).
$k$ (Rate Constant): $k$ is a proportionality constant in the rate law equation, specific to a given temperature and independent of reactant concentrations.