Consider the reaction 2A + 2B + C → 2D + E
If the rate law for this reaction is Rate = k[A][B]², what will be the effect on the rate if the concentrations of A, B and C are all doubled at the same time?

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The rate law is given as Rate = k[A][B], which means the rate is directly proportional to the concentration of A and the concentration of B, but independent of the concentration of C. Doubling both [A] and [B] would increase the rate by a factor of 2^2 for [A] times 2^1 for [B], which equals a factor of 4. However, the correct interpretation of the given rate law, considering the formatting issue, still leads to the rate being dependent on [A] and [B] only. Doubling [A] and [B] would increase the rate by 2^1 for [A] times 2^1 for [B], which equals a factor of 4, indicating a misunderstanding in the explanation. Given the rate law Rate = k[A][B], doubling both [A] and [B] actually increases the rate by a factor of 2^2 = 4 for each [A] and [B], leading to a total increase by a factor of 4^2 = 16, but since the option is not available and considering the most likely intended interpretation without the formatting issue, the explanation mistakenly suggests a calculation based on incorrect parsing of the rate law. The correct calculation based on the provided rate law (assuming a typo in the rate law expression) and standard interpretation would indeed result in an increase by a factor of 4, but this is not aligned with the options provided, indicating a critical misunderstanding in the explanation process. Therefore, considering the standard approach to interpreting rate laws and the options given, the response should align with how the rate law's mathematical relationship directly influences the rate change upon doubling the concentrations of reactants involved in the rate-determining step.

Consider the Reaction 2A + 2B + C → 2D