Snelheidswet en reactieorde

For any reaction, the relationship between the reaction rate and the reactant concentrations can be expressed mathematically using a rate law or the rate equation. 

In a rate law, ‘k’ is the proportionality constant, or the rate constant, and ‘n’ is the reaction order with respect to a single reactant, whose value is often an integer. In rate laws for multi-reactant reactions, the overall reaction order is the sum of all reactant orders.

For each reactant, the reaction rate, rate constant, concentration, and the reaction order are all determined experimentally.

Individual reactant orders commonly take the values 0, 1, or 2, and based on the overall reaction order, chemical reactions can be categorized as zero-order, first-order, or second-order reactions.

A single-reactant, or unimolecular, chemical reaction for which the reaction rate remains constant throughout its duration is a zero-order reaction. The reactant order in a zero-order reaction is zero, and the reactant concentration is raised to the zeroth power.

Since the value of any number raised to the zeroth power is one, the reaction rate of a zero-order reaction is equal to the rate constant and, hence, independent of the reactant concentration.

A unimolecular chemical reaction where the reaction rate is directly proportional to the reactant's concentration is a first-order reaction. The reactant order for a first-order reaction is one, and as per the rate law, the reactant’s concentration is raised to the first power.

Since the value of any number raised to the power of one remains the same, the reaction rate of a first-order reaction directly depends on the reactant concentration. As the reactant concentration decreases, the reaction rate decreases proportionally in a linear manner.

A unimolecular chemical reaction where the reaction rate is dependent on the square of the reactant’s concentration is a second-order reaction. As the reactant concentration decreases, the reaction rate decreases exponentially in a quadratic manner.