This reaction is first order in N₂O₅: N₂O₅(g) → NO₃(g) + NO₂(g) The rate constant for the reaction at a certain temperature is 0.053/s. a. Calculate the rate of the reaction when [N₂O₅] = 0.055 M

Verified step by step guidance

1. Identify the order of the reaction with respect to N₂O₅. Since the reaction is first order in N₂O₅, the rate law can be expressed as Rate = k[N₂O₅].
2. Substitute the given rate constant (k) into the rate law. The rate constant k is given as 0.053/s.
3. Substitute the concentration of N₂O₅ into the rate law. The concentration [N₂O₅] is given as 0.055 M.
4. Calculate the rate of the reaction by multiplying the rate constant by the concentration of N₂O₅. Use the formula: Rate = (0.053/s) * (0.055 M).
5. Express the final rate of the reaction in appropriate units, which in this case would be M/s (molarity per second).

Key Concepts

First-Order Reactions

A first-order reaction is one where the rate of reaction is directly proportional to the concentration of one reactant. In this case, the rate can be expressed as rate = k[N2O5], where k is the rate constant. This means that if the concentration of N2O5 changes, the rate of the reaction will change linearly with it.

Rate Constant (k)

The rate constant (k) is a proportionality factor that relates the rate of a reaction to the concentration of reactants. It is specific to a given reaction at a particular temperature. In this question, the rate constant is given as 0.053/s, which indicates how quickly the reaction proceeds under the specified conditions.

Concentration and Rate Calculation

To calculate the rate of a reaction, you multiply the rate constant (k) by the concentration of the reactant. For the given reaction, with [N2O5] at 0.055 M, the rate can be calculated using the formula rate = k[N2O5]. This allows us to determine how fast the reaction is occurring at that specific concentration.