Intro to Chemistry

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Elementary reaction

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Intro to Chemistry

Definition

An elementary reaction is a single-step process in which reactants directly form products without any intermediates. Each elementary reaction has its own specific rate law that depends only on the concentration of the reactants involved.

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5 Must Know Facts For Your Next Test

  1. The molecularity of an elementary reaction refers to the number of reacting species involved in a single step (e.g., unimolecular, bimolecular).
  2. Elementary reactions have rate laws that are directly proportional to the product of the concentrations of the reactants raised to their stoichiometric coefficients.
  3. A reaction mechanism is often composed of multiple elementary reactions that describe the overall process.
  4. In an elementary reaction, the order of the reaction matches its molecularity.
  5. $k$ represents the rate constant for an elementary reaction and can be influenced by temperature and catalysts.

Review Questions

  • What distinguishes an elementary reaction from a complex reaction?
  • How does molecularity relate to the rate law of an elementary reaction?
  • Why do elementary reactions have rate laws that match their stoichiometric coefficients?
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