Nitrogen dioxide reacts with carbon monoxide to produce...

Nitrogen dioxide reacts with carbon monoxide to produce nitrogen monoxide and carbon dioxide in the $$\text { reaction, } \mathrm{NO}_{2}(g)+\mathrm{CO}(g) \longrightarrow \mathrm{NO}(g)+\mathrm{CO}_{2}(g) .$$ The first, and rate determining, step in the reaction is proposed to be two $\mathrm{NO}_{2}$ molecules colliding to form $\mathrm{NO}_{3}$ and $\mathrm{NO}$. The $\mathrm{NO}_{3}$ intermediate then reacts with $\mathrm{CO}$ to form $\mathrm{CO}_{2}$. What is the rate law for this proposed mechanism?

Key Concepts

Rate Law

The rate law is an expression that relates the rate of a reaction to the concentrations of its reactants. It shows exactly how changes in each reactant's concentration influence the reaction rate and is typically determined by the rate-determining (slow) step in the mechanism.

Reaction Mechanism

A reaction mechanism details the sequence of individual steps that comprise the overall reaction. It involves identifying all intermediates, transition states, and the order in which reactants are converted to products, offering a complete picture of how a reaction proceeds at the molecular level.

Rate-Determining Step

The rate-determining step is the slowest step in a reaction mechanism. Because it has the highest energy barrier, it limits the overall rate of the reaction, and thus the rate law of the entire process is based on the molecularity of this elementary step.

Elementary Reaction

An elementary reaction is a single step in a reaction mechanism where reactants convert directly to products. The rate law for an elementary reaction can be deduced directly from its molecularity—the number of molecules colliding in that step.

Reaction Intermediate

A reaction intermediate is a transient species that is formed in one step of a reaction mechanism and consumed in a subsequent step. Although intermediates do not appear in the overall balanced reaction, they are essential for understanding the mechanistic pathway and kinetics of the reaction.

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