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Ch.14 - Chemical Kinetics
Chapter 14, Problem 112e

In a hydrocarbon solution, the gold compound (CH3)3AuPH3 decomposes into ethane (C2H6) and a different gold compound, (CH3)AuPH3. The following mechanism has been proposed for the decomposition of (CH3)3AuPH3:
Step 1: (CH3)3AuPH3 k1 k -1 (CH3)3Au + PH3 (fast)
Step 2: (CH3)3Au k2 C2H6 + (CH3)Au (slow)
Step 3: (CH3)Au + PH3 ¡k3 1(CH3)AuPH3 (fast)
(e) What is the rate law predicted by this mechanism?

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1
Step 1: Identify the slow step in the reaction mechanism. In this case, it is Step 2: (CH<sub>3</sub>)<sub>3</sub>Au k2 C<sub>2</sub>H<sub>6</sub> + (CH<sub>3</sub>)Au. The rate law of the reaction is determined by the slowest step, also known as the rate-determining step.
Step 2: Write the rate law for the slow step. The rate law is written as the rate equals the rate constant times the concentration of the reactants. In this case, the reactant is (CH<sub>3</sub>)<sub>3</sub>Au, so the rate law for this step is rate = k2[(CH<sub>3</sub>)<sub>3</sub>Au].
Step 3: Check if the reactants in the rate law are the products of the previous steps. If they are, we need to substitute them with the reactants of the previous steps. In this case, (CH<sub>3</sub>)<sub>3</sub>Au is the product of Step 1.
Step 4: Substitute the reactant in the rate law with the reactants of the previous step. The reactants of Step 1 are (CH<sub>3</sub>)<sub>3</sub>AuPH<sub>3</sub>. So, the rate law becomes rate = k2[(CH<sub>3</sub>)<sub>3</sub>AuPH<sub>3</sub>].
Step 5: This is the final rate law predicted by the mechanism. It shows that the rate of the reaction is directly proportional to the concentration of (CH<sub>3</sub>)<sub>3</sub>AuPH<sub>3</sub>.

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Key Concepts

Here are the essential concepts you must grasp in order to answer the question correctly.

Reaction Mechanism

A reaction mechanism is a step-by-step description of the pathway through which reactants are converted into products. It outlines individual elementary steps, each with its own rate, and helps in understanding how the overall reaction occurs. In this case, the mechanism involves three steps, with the slowest step determining the rate of the overall reaction.
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Rate Law

The rate law expresses the relationship between the rate of a chemical reaction and the concentration of its reactants. It is typically formulated based on the slowest step of the reaction mechanism, where the rate is proportional to the concentrations of the reactants raised to their respective powers. For the given mechanism, identifying the slow step is crucial to derive the correct rate law.
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Elementary Steps

Elementary steps are individual reactions that occur in a reaction mechanism. Each step can be characterized by its own rate constant and molecularity, which indicates the number of molecules involved in the step. Understanding these steps is essential for determining the overall rate law, as the slowest elementary step dictates the rate of the entire reaction.
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Related Practice
Textbook Question
The following mechanism has been proposed for the gasphase reaction of chloroform 1CHCl32 and chlorine: Step 1: Cl21g2 Δ k1 k - 1 2 Cl1g2 1fast2 Step 2: Cl1g2 + CHCl31g2 ¡k2 HCl1g2 + CCl31g2 1slow2 Step 3: Cl1g2 + CCl31g2 ¡k3 CCl4 1fast2 (a) What is the overall reaction?
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Open Question
Consider the hypothetical reaction 2 A + B → 2 C + D. The following two-step mechanism is proposed for the reaction: Step 1: A + B → C + X Step 2: A + X → C + D. X is an unstable intermediate. (c) Your result for part (b) might be considered surprising for which of the following reasons: (i) The concentration of a product is in the rate law. (ii) There is a negative reaction order in the rate law. (iii) Both reasons (i) and (ii). (iv) Neither reasons (i) nor (ii).
Textbook Question

In a hydrocarbon solution, the gold compound (CH3)3AuPH3 decomposes into ethane (C2H6) and a different gold compound, (CH3)AuPH3. The following mechanism has been proposed for the decomposition of (CH3)3AuPH3:

Step 1: (CH3)3AuPH3 k1 k -1 (CH3)3Au + PH3 (fast)

Step 2: (CH3)3Au k2 C2H6 + (CH3)Au (slow)

Step 3: (CH3)Au + PH3 ¡k3 1(CH3)AuPH3 (fast)

(c) What is the molecularity of each of the elementary steps?

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Textbook Question

In a hydrocarbon solution, the gold compound (CH3)3AuPH3 decomposes into ethane (C2H6) and a different gold compound, (CH3)AuPH3. The following mechanism has been proposed for the decomposition of (CH3)3AuPH3:

Step 1: (CH3)3AuPH3 k1 k -1 (CH3)3Au + PH3 (fast)

Step 2: (CH3)3Au k2 C2H6 + (CH3)Au (slow)

Step 3: (CH3)Au + PH3 ¡k3 1(CH3)AuPH3 (fast)

(f) What would be the effect on the reaction rate of adding PH3 to the solution of (CH3)3AuPH3?

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Textbook Question

Platinum nanoparticles of diameter 2 nm are important catalysts in carbon monoxide oxidation to carbon dioxide. Platinum crystallizes in a face-centered cubic arrangement with an edge length of 3.924 Å. (b) Estimate how many platinum atoms are on the surface of a 2.0-nm Pt sphere, using the surface area of a sphere 14pr22 and assuming that the 'footprint' of one Pt atom can be estimated from its atomic diameter of 2.8 A .

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Textbook Question

Platinum nanoparticles of diameter 2 nm are important catalysts in carbon monoxide oxidation to carbon dioxide. Platinum crystallizes in a face-centered cubic arrangement with an edge length of 3.924 Å. (c) Using your results from (a) and (b), calculate the percentage of Pt atoms that are on the surface of a 2.0-nm nanoparticle.

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