Chem 162

Study Guide for Chapters 12 and 13

Chapter 12
How can you measure the rate of a reaction?
How can you compare reaction rates based on different reaction components?
How does the rate of a reaction change over time?
What are instantaneous rates and the initial rate?
What are the various components of a rate law and what does each component tell you
about the reaction?
What are some ways of determining the rate law orders of each reactant for a given
reaction?
What are the usual units for rate and for rate constants (depends on the order of the
reaction!)?
How can you use integrated rate laws for zero order, first order, and second order
reactions?
What do graphs of zero order, first order, and second order reactions look like and what
information can you obtain from such graphs?
What is half-life, how is it related to the concentration of a reactant, and how can you
calculate it?
What are the criteria for an effective collision (one that results in reactants being
converted to products)?
What is the activation energy of a reaction and how does it relate to the rate of a reaction?
What do all the parts of the curve represent in a potential energy diagram?
What do potential energy diagrams look like for endothermic and exothermic reactions?
How does changing the temperature of a reaction affect the rate of reaction, based on
collision theory?
How can you use the Arrhenius equation?
What are reaction mechanisms and what are elementary reactions?
What is a reaction intermediate?
What is the molecularity of an elementary reaction and how is the rate law of an
elementary reaction related to its molecularity?
What is the rate-determining step in a reaction mechanism and how is the rate law of the
rate-determining step related to the rate law of the overall reaction?
How can a reaction mechanism be proposed from the overall rate law?
What is a catalyst and how does it increase the rate of a reaction?
Chapter 13

What is happening in a reaction that is at equilibrium?

How do you write an equilibrium constant expression and solve for Kc or Kp?
How can you tell if a reaction mixture is at equilibrium?
How are rate constants of the forward and reverse reactions related to the equilibrium
constant (Kc)?
What does the value of K tell you about the reaction at equilibrium?
How are Kc and Kp related?
How can you solve for the equilibrium concentration/pressure of a reactant or product if
you know the value of K?
What are heterogeneous equilibria and why do you need to know the states of the
reaction components when writing a K expression?
How can you calculate a reaction quotient (Q) and what does it tell you about a reaction?
How can you calculate equilibrium concentrations/pressures when given K and the initial
concentrations?
How does changing the concentration of a reaction component, changing the partial
pressures of reaction components by changing the volume, or changing the temperature
of a reaction at equilibrium affect the equilibrium?
o Which reaction rate has an initial increase (forward or reverse)?
o Which direction does the equilibrium shift (toward reactants or products)?
o How do the concentrations of all the reaction components change (increase or
decrease)?
How does changing the temperature of a reaction affect the equilibrium constant, K?
How does a catalyst affect an equilibrium reaction?