For a roller coaster, the rate-limiting step is the climb up to the top at the beginning of the ride, where the cars are hauled slowly to the peak of the ride. In this example, the rate-limiting step ...For a roller coaster, the rate-limiting step is the climb up to the top at the beginning of the ride, where the cars are hauled slowly to the peak of the ride. In this example, the rate-limiting step in the reaction is the first step, leading to the formation of the activated complex \(AC_1\). If the rate-limiting step were the second step, the peak labeled \(AC_2\) would be the higher peak than \(AC_1\) and \(E_{a2}\) would be greater than \(E_{a1}\).
