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Ch.15 - Chemical Kinetics
Chapter 15, Problem 83a

Consider this three-step mechanism for a reaction:
Cl2 (g) k1⇌k2 2 Cl (g) Fast
Cl (g) + CHCl3 (g) →k3 HCl (g) + CCl3 (g) Slow
Cl (g) + CCl3 (g) →k4 CCl4 (g) Fast
a. What is the overall reaction?

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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 how a chemical reaction occurs at the molecular level. It outlines the individual elementary steps that lead to the overall reaction, including the formation and consumption of intermediates. Understanding the mechanism helps in predicting the rate and outcome of the reaction.
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Elementary Steps

Elementary steps are the individual reactions that make up a reaction mechanism. Each step represents a single molecular event, such as the collision of reactants or the formation of products. The rate of the overall reaction is often determined by the slowest elementary step, known as the rate-determining step.
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Overall Reaction

The overall reaction is the net equation that summarizes the reactants and products of a chemical process, derived from the individual elementary steps. It reflects the stoichiometry of the reaction and provides insight into the conservation of mass. To find the overall reaction, one must combine the elementary steps while canceling out any intermediates.
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