activated complex | (also, transition state) unstable combination of reactant species formed during a chemical reaction | | | | |
activation energy (Ea) | minimum energy necessary in order for a reaction to take place | | | | |
Arrhenius equation | mathematical relationship between a reaction’s rate constant, activation energy, and temperature | | | | |
average rate | rate of a chemical reaction computed as the ratio of a measured change in amount or concentration of substance to the time interval over which the change occurred | | | | |
bimolecular reaction | elementary reaction involving two reactant species | | | | |
catalyst | substance that increases the rate of a reaction without itself being consumed by the reaction | | | | |
collision theory | model that emphasizes the energy and orientation of molecular collisions to explain and predict reaction kinetics | | | | |
elementary reaction | reaction that takes place in a single step, precisely as depicted in its chemical equation | | | | |
frequency factor (A) | proportionality constant in the Arrhenius equation, related to the relative number of collisions having an orientation capable of leading to product formation | | | | |
half-life of a reaction (tl/2) | time required for half of a given amount of reactant to be consumed | | | | |
heterogeneous catalyst | catalyst present in a different phase from the reactants, furnishing a surface at which a reaction can occur | | | | |
homogeneous catalyst | catalyst present in the same phase as the reactants | | | | |
initial rate | instantaneous rate of a chemical reaction at t = 0 s (immediately after the reaction has begun) | | | | |
instantaneous rate | rate of a chemical reaction at any instant in time, determined by the slope of the line tangential to a graph of concentration as a function of time | | | | |
integrated rate law | equation that relates the concentration of a reactant to elapsed time of reaction | | | | |
intermediate | species produced in one step of a reaction mechanism and consumed in a subsequent step | | | | |
method of initial rates | common experimental approach to determining rate laws that involves measuring reaction rates at varying initial reactant concentrations | | | | |
molecularity | number of reactant species involved in an elementary reaction | | | | |
overall reaction order | sum of the reaction orders for each substance represented in the rate law | | | | |
rate constant (k) | proportionality constant in a rate law | | | | |
rate expression | mathematical representation defining reaction rate as change in amount, concentration, or pressure of reactant or product species per unit time | | | | |
rate law | (also, rate equation) (also, differential rate laws) mathematical equation showing the dependence of reaction rate on the rate constant and the concentration of one or more reactants | | | | |
rate of reaction | measure of the speed at which a chemical reaction takes place | | | | |
rate-determining step | (also, rate-limiting step) slowest elementary reaction in a reaction mechanism; determines the rate of the overall reaction | | | | |
reaction diagram | used in chemical kinetics to illustrate various properties of a reaction | | | | |
reaction mechanism | stepwise sequence of elementary reactions by which a chemical change takes place | | | | |
reaction order | value of an exponent in a rate law (for example, zero order for 0, first order for 1, second order for 2, and so on) | | | | |
termolecular reaction | elementary reaction involving three reactant species | | | | |
unimolecular reaction | elementary reaction involving a single reactant species | | | | |