Rates of reaction - kinetics (A2)

Read our general notes on Risk Assessment

Rates and mechanisms: audio tutorial

Explaining what we see in terms of what we can't see

Alan Furse explains ...
 
In this short talk I discuss the way that chemists think about the mechanisms of reactions. I want to help you to understand how we can use the experimental rate equation for a reaction to decide whether or not a suggested mechanism is likely to be correct.
 
I suggest that when listening you have a piece of paper and pencil to draw sketches of what I describe. You'll also need a copy of the Nuffield Chemistry students' book, open at section 11.3, page 251.
 
Please tell us what you think of this tutorial. Did it help you to understand the concepts? What other subjects would you like to us cover? Click 'react' below and let us have your comments.
 
>>> Download the audio file on the right.
 
>>Download the script here Rates audio tutorial (36k doc)

---

Rate this page or react
Share your views on this page, 180 ratings so far 3 , rated at

---

Reactions

Liz
Excellent! I had never been taught about how the order of a reactant is affected by whether it appears in the mechanism before or after the rate- determining step. Please could you also explain how to propose a rate- determining step by looking at the rate equation.
14 January 2007

Auri
The tutorial was very useful but something about mechanisms, Sn1 and Sn2 stuff, would be really helpful. Also how it links in with orders...
03 June 2006

yasmine
It would be great if the audio tutorials were also written up, this would be much easier to follow and keep up and understand
02 October 2004

Tom Smith
The lecturer who was teaching the majority of the inorganic sylabus to me was taken ill this year and this tutorial had helped greatly in clearing it all up in a simple plain speaking manner. Thanks greatly.
23 June 2004

updated: 06 April 2006