Elementary Reactions and Molecularity
individual steps = elementary reactions (or steps)
Elementary steps are characterized by their molecularity.
molecularity = number of reactant particles involved in the step
2O3(g) 3O2(g)
O3(g) O2(g) + O(g)
O3(g) + O(g) 2O2(g)
unimolecular
bimolecular
Termolecular elementary steps are rare!
The rate law for an elementary reaction can be deduced
from the reaction stoichiometry; equation coefficients are
used as the reaction orders.
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