Apentix/AP Chemistry/Unit 5: Kinetics/Question
AP Chemistrymediummcq1 pt

Why do experimentally determined reaction orders often fail to match the coefficients of the balanced equation?

A.Balanced equations show net stoichiometry, while orders reflect the multistep pathway
B.Coefficients are rounded averages of the true orders
C.Orders match coefficients only at high temperature
D.Experimental error usually distorts the measured exponents

Explanation

Core Concept

A balanced equation records only the overall atom accounting; it says nothing about how molecules actually transform. Orders emerge from the rate-determining elementary step together with any equilibria feeding it, so they encode the mechanism rather than the net change. When several steps operate, the observed exponents routinely differ from the coefficients. Only for a genuinely one-step reaction do the two coincide.

Correct Answer

ABalanced equations show net stoichiometry, while orders reflect the multistep pathway

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