P823EX20 (11 July 2005)

Discussion questions
23.1 Identify any initiation, propagation, retardation, inhibition, and termination steps in the
following chain mechanisms:
(a)

(1) AH A + H
(2) A B + C
(3) AH + B A + D
(4) A + B P

(b)

(1) A2 A + A
(2) A B + C
(3) A + P B
(4) A + B P

23.2 Bearing in mind distinctions between the mechanisms of stepwise and chain polymerization,
describe ways in which it is possible to control the molar mass of a polymer by manipulating the
kinetic parameters of polymerization.

23.3 Discuss the features, advantages, and limitations of the MichaelisMenten mechanism of
enzyme action.

23.4 Distinguish between competitive, non-competitive, and uncompetitive inhibition of

enzymes. Discuss how these modes of inhibition may be detected experimentally.

23.5 Distinguish between the primary quantum yield and overall quantum yield of a chemical

reaction. Describe an experimental procedure for the determination of the quantum yield.

23.6 Discuss experimental procedures that make it possible to differentiate between quenching
by energy transfer, collisions, or electron transfer.

23.7 Summarize the main features of the Frster theory of resonance energy transfer. Then,
discuss FRET in terms of Frster theory.

##

Exercises
In the following exercises and problems, it is recommended that rate constants are labelled with
the number of the step in the proposed reaction mechanism, and any reverse steps are labelled
similarly but with a prime.

23.1a Derive the rate law for the decomposition of ozone in the reaction 2 O3(g) 3 O2(g) on
the basis of the following proposed mechanism:
(1) O3 _ O2 + O

k1, k1

(2) O + O3 O2 + O2

k2

23.1b On the basis of the following proposed mechanism, account for the experimental fact that
the rate law for the decomposition 2 N2O5(g) 4 NO2(g) + O2(g) is v = k[N2O5].
(1) N2O5 _ NO2 + NO3

k1, k1

(2) NO2 + NO3 NO2 + O2 + NO

k2

(3) NO + N2O5 NO2 + NO2 + NO2

k3

23.2a A slightly different mechanism for the decomposition of N2O5 from that in Exercise
23.1b has also been proposed. It differs only in the last step, which is replaced by
(3) NO + NO3 NO2 + NO2

k3

Show that this mechanism leads to the same overall rate law.

23.2b Consider the following mechanism for the thermal decomposition of R2:
(1) R2 R + R
(2) R + R2 PB + R
(3) R PA + R
(4) R + R PA + PB
where R2, PA, PB are stable hydrocarbons and R and R are radicals. Find the dependence of the
rate of decomposition of R2 on the concentration of R2.

23.3a Refer to Fig. 23.* and determine the pressure range for branching chain explosion in the
hydrogen-oxygen reaction at 800 K.

23.3b Refer to Fig. 23.* and determine the pressure range for branching chain explosion in the
hydrogen-oxygen reaction at (a) 700 K, (b) 900 K.

23.4a The condensation reaction of propanone, (CH3)2CO, in aqueous solution is catalysed by

bases, B, which react reversibly with propanone to form the carbanion C3H5O-. The carbanion
then reacts with a molecule of propanone to give the product. A simplified version of the
mechanism is

(1) AH + B BH+ + A(2) A- + BH+ AH + B

(3) A- + AH product
where AH stands for propanone and A- denotes its carbanion. Use the steady-state approximation
to find the concentration of the carbanion and derive the rate equation for the formation of the
product.

23.4b Consider the acid-catalysed reaction

(1) HA + H+ _ HAH+

k1 k1, both fast

(2) HAH+ + B BH+ + AH k2, slow

Deduce the rate law and show that it can be made independent of the specific term [H+].

23.5a Consider the following chain mechanism:

(1) AH A + H
(2) A B + C
(3) AH + B A + D
(4) A + B P
Use the steady-state approximation to deduce that the decomposition of AH is first order in AH.

23.5b Consider the following chain mechanism:

(1) A2 A + A
(2) A B + C
(3) A + P B
(4) A + B P
4

Use the steady-state approximation to deduce that the rate law for the consumption of A2.

23.6a The enzyme-catalysed conversion of a substrate at 25C has a Michaelis constant of 0.035
mol dm-3. The rate of the reaction is 1.15 10-3 mol dm-3 s-1 when the substrate concentration is
0.110 mol dm-3. What is the maximum velocity of this enzymolysis?

23.6b The enzyme-catalysed conversion of a substrate at 25C has a Michaelis constant of 0.042
mol dm-3. The rate of the reaction is 2.45 10-4 mol dm-3 s-1 when the substrate concentration is
0.890 mol dm-3. What is the maximum velocity of this enzymolysis?

23.7a In a photochemical reaction A 2 B + C, the quantum efficiency with 500 nm light is

2.1 102 mol einstein-1 (1 einstein = 1 mol photons). After exposure of 300 mmol of A to the
light, 2.28 mmol of B is formed. How many photons were absorbed by A?

23.7b In a photochemical reaction A B + C, the quantum efficiency with 500 nm light is 1.2
102 mol einstein-1. After exposure of 200 mmol A to the light, 1.77 mmol B is formed. How
many photons were absorbed by A?

23.8a In an experiment to measure the quantum efficiency of a photochemical reaction, the

absorbing substance was exposed to 490 nm light from a 100 W source for 45 min. The intensity
of the transmitted light was 40 per cent of the intensity of the incident light. As a result of
irradiation, 0.344 mol of the absorbing substance decomposed. Determine the quantum
efficiency.

23.8b In an experiment to measure the quantum efficiency of a photochemical reaction, the

absorbing substance was exposed to 320 nm radiation from a 87.5 W source for 28.0 min. The
intensity of the transmitted light was 0.257 that of the incident light. As a result of irradiation,
0.324 mol of the absorbing substance decomposed. Determine the quantum efficiency.

Problems1
Numerical problems
23.1 Studies of combustion reactions depend on knowing the concentrations of H atoms and
HO radicals. Measurements on a flow system using EPR for the detection of radicals gave
information on the reactions
(1) H + NO2 OH + NO

k1 = 2.9 1010 dm3 mol-1 s-1

(2) OH + OH H2O + O

k2 = 1.55 109 dm3 mol-1 s-1

(3) O + OH O2 + H

k3 = 1.1 1010 dm3 mol-1 s-1

(J.N. Bradley, W. Hack, K. Hoyermann, and H.G. Wagner, J. Chem. Soc. Faraday Trans. I, 1889
(1973)). Using initial H atom and NO2 concentrations of 4.5 10-10 mol cm-3 and 5.6 10-10 mol
cm-3, respectively, compute and plot curves showing the O, O2, and OH concentrations as a
function of time in the range 010 ns.

23.2 In a flow study of the reaction between O atoms and Cl2 (J.N. Bradley, D.A. Whytock, and
T.A. Zaleski, J. Chem. Soc. Faraday Trans. I, 1251 (1973)) at high chlorine pressures, plots of ln
[O]0/[O] against distances l along the flow tube, where [O]0 is the oxygen concentration at zero

Problems denoted with the symbol were supplied by Charles Trapp, Carmen
Giunta, and Marshall Cady.

chlorine pressure, gave straight lines. Given the flow velocity as 6.66 m s-1 and the data below,
find the rate coefficient for the reaction O + Cl2 ClO + Cl.
l/cm

10

12

14

16

18

ln([O]0/[O])

0.27

0.31

0.34

0.38

0.45

0.46

0.50

0.55

0.56

0.60

with [O]0 = 3.3 10-8 mol dm-3, [Cl2] = 2.54 10-7 mol dm-3, p = 1.70 Torr.

23.3 J.D. Chapple-Sokol, C.J. Giunta, and R.G. Gordon (J. Electrochem. Soc. 136, 2993
(1989)) proposed the following radical chain mechanism for the initial stages of the gas-phase
oxidation of silane by nitrous oxide:
(1) N2O N2 + O
(2) O + SiH4 SiH3 + OH
(3) OH + SiH4 SiH3 + H2O
(4) SiH3 + N2O SiH3O + N2
(5) SiH3O + SiH4 SiH3OH + SiH3
(6) SiH3 + SiH3O (H3Si)2O
Label each step with its role in the chain. Use the steady-state approximation to show that this
mechanism predicts the following rate law for SiH4 consumption (provided k1 and k6 are in some
sense small):

23.4 The water formation reaction has been studied many times and continues to be of interest.
Despite the many studies there is not uniform agreement on the mechanism. But as explosions
are known to occur at certain critical values of the pressure, any proposed mechanism to be
considered plausible must be consistent with the existence of these critical explosion limits. One
such plausible mechanism is that of Example 23.*. Another is the following
7

(1) H2 H + H
(2) H + O2 OH + O
(3) O + H2 OH + H
(4) H + O2 HO2
(5) HO2 + H2 H2O + OH
(6) HO2 + wall destruction
(7) H + M destruction
In a manner similar to that in Example 23.*, determine whether or not this mechanism can lead
to explosions under appropriate conditions.

23.5 For many years the reaction H2(g) + I2(g) 2 HI(g) and its reverse were assumed to be
elementary bimolecular reactions. However, J.H. Sullivan (J. Chem. Phys. 46, 73 (1967))
suggested that the following mechanism for the reaction, originally proposed by M. Bodenstein
(Z. Physik. Chem. 29, 56 (1898)), provides a better explanation of the experimental results:
(1) I2 I + I
(2) I + I + H2 HI + HI

k1, k1
k2

Obtain the expression for the rate of formation of HI based on this mechanism. Under what
conditions does this rate law reduce to the one for the originally accepted mechanism?

23.6 The number of photons falling on a sample can be determined by a variety of methods, of
which the classical one is chemical actinometry. The decomposition of oxalic acid (COOH)2, in
the presence of uranyl sulphate, (UO2)SO4, proceeds according to the sequence
(1) UO2+ + hv (UO2+)*
(2) (UO2+)* + (COOH)2 UO2+ + H2O + CO2 + CO
8

with a quantum efficiency of 0.53 at the wavelength used. The amount of oxalic acid remaining
after exposure can be determined by titration (with KMnO4) and the extent of decomposition
used to find the number of incident photons. In a particular experiment, the actinometry solution
consisted of 5.232 g anhydrous oxalic acid, 25.0 cm3 water (together with the uranyl salt). After
exposure for 300 s the remaining solution was titrated with 0.212 M KMnO4(aq), and 17.0 cm3
were required for complete oxidation of the remaining oxalic acid. The titration reaction is
2 MnO4-(aq) + 5 (COOH)2(aq) + 6 H+(aq) 10 CO2(g) + 8 H2O(l) + 2Mn2+(aq)
What is the rate of incidence of photons at the wavelength of the experiment? Express the answer
in photons/second and einstein/second.

23.7 Dansyl chloride, which absorbs maximally at 330 nm and fluoresces maximally at 510 nm,
can be used to label amino acids in fluorescence microscopy and FRET studies. Tabulated below
is the variation of the fluorescence intensity of an aqueous solution of dansyl chloride with time
after excitation by a short laser pulse (with I0 the initial fluorescence intensity).
t/ns

5.0

10.0

15.0

20.0

If/I0

0.45

0.21

0.11

0.05

(a) Calculate the observed fluorescence lifetime of dansyl chloride in water. (b) The fluorescence
quantum yield of dansyl chloride in water is 0.70. What is the fluorescence rate constant?

23.8 When benzophenone is illuminated with ultraviolet light it is excited into a singlet state.
This singlet changes rapidly into a triplet, which phosphoresces. Triethylamine acts as a
quencher for the triplet. In an experiment in methanol as solvent, the phosphorescence intensity
varied with amine concentration as shown below. A

time-resolved laser spectroscopy

experiment had also shown that the half-life of the fluorescence in the absence of quencher is 29

s. What is the value of kq?

[Q]/(mol dm-3)
If/(arbitrary units)

0.0010 0.0050 0.0100

0.41

0.25

0.16

23.9 An electronically excited state of Hg can be quenched by N2 according to

Hg* (g) + N2 (g, v = 0) Hg (g) + N2 (g, v = 1)
in which energy transfer from Hg* excites N2 vibrationally. Fluorescence lifetime measurements
of samples of Hg with and without N2 present are summarized below (T = 300 K):
pN2 = 0.0 atm
Relative fluorescence intensity

1.000 0.606 0.360 0.22

0.135

t/s

0.0

20.0

5.0

10.0

15.0

pN2 = 9.74 10-4 atm

Relative fluorescence intensity

1.000 0.585 0.342 0.200 0.117

t/s

0.0

3.0

6.0

9.0

12.0

You may assume that all gases behave ideally. Determine the rate constant for the energy
transfer process.

23.10 The Frster theory of resonance energy transfer and the basis for the FRET technique can
be tested by performing fluorescence measurements on a series of compounds in which an
energy donor and an energy acceptor are covalently linked by a rigid molecular linker of variable
and known length. L. Stryer and R.P. Haugland, Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 58, 719 (1967)
collected the following data on a family of compounds with the general composition dansyl-(Lprolyl)n-naphthyl, in which the distance R between the naphthyl donor and the dansyl acceptor
was varied from 1.2 nm to 4.6 nm by increasing the number of prolyl units in the linker:

10

R/nm 1.2

1.5

1.8

2.8

3.1

3.4

3.7

4.0

4.3

4.6

1 -E

0.94

0.97

0.82

0.74

0.65

0.40

0.28

0.24

0.16

0.99

Are the data described adequately by eqn 23.*? If so, what is the value of R0 for the naphthyldansyl pair?

Theoretical problems
23.11 The RiceHerzfeld mechanism for the dehydrogenation of ethane is specified in Section
23.*b, and it was noted there that it led to first-order kinetics. Confirm this remark, and find the
approximations that lead to the rate law quoted there. How may the conditions be changed so that
the reaction shows different orders?

23.12 The following mechanism has been proposed for the thermal decomposition of
acetaldehyde (ethanal):
(1) CH3CHO CH3 + CHO
(2) CH3 + CH3CHO CH4 + CH2CHO
(3) CH2CHO CO + CH3
(4) CH3 + CH3 CH3CH3
Find an expression for the rate of formation of methane and the rate of disappearance of
acetaldehyde.

23.13 Express the root mean square deviation {M2 - M2}1/2 of the molar mass of a
condensation polymer in terms of p, and deduce its time-dependence.

23.14 Calculate the ratio of the mean cube molar mass to the mean square molar mass in terms

11

of (a) the fraction p, (b) the chain length.

23.15 Calculate the average polymer length in a polymer produced by a chain mechanism in
which termination occurs by a disproportionation reaction of the form M + M :M.

23.16

Derive an expression for the time dependence of the degree of polymerization for a

stepwise polymerization in which the reaction is acid-catalysed by the COOH acid functional
group. The rate law is d[A]/dt = -k[A]2[OH].

23.17 Autocatalysis is the catalysis of a reaction by the products. For example, for a reaction A
P it may be found that the rate law is v = k[A][P] and the reaction rate is proportional to the
concentration of P. The reaction gets started because there are usually other reaction routes for
the formation of some P initially, which then takes part in the autocatalytic reaction proper. (a)
Integrate the rate equation for an autocatalytic reaction of the form A P, with rate law v =
k[A][P], and show that

where a = ([A]0 + [P]0)k and b = [P]0/[A]0. Hint: Starting with the expression v = -d[A]/dt =
k[A][P], write [A] = [A]0 -x, [P] = [P]0 + x and then write the expression for the rate of change of
either species in terms of x. To integrate the resulting expression, the following relation will be
useful:

(b) Plot [P]/[P]0 against at for several values of b. Discuss the effect of autocatalysis on the shape
12

of a plot of [P]/[P]0 against t by comparing your results with those for a first-order process, in
which [P]/[P]0 = 1-e-kt. (c) Show that for the autocatalytic process discussed in parts (a) and (b),
the reaction rate reaches a maximum at tmax = -(1/a) ln b. (d) An autocatalytic reaction A P is
observed to have the rate law d[P]/dt = k[A]2[P]. Solve the rate law for initial concentrations [A]0
and [P]0. Calculate the time at which the rate reaches a maximum. (e) Another reaction with the
stoichiometry A P has the rate law d[P]/dt = k[A][P]2; integrate the rate law for initial
concentrations [A]0 and [P]0. Calculate the time at which the rate reaches a maximum.

##

23.18 Conventional equilibrium considerations do not apply when a reaction is being driven by
light absorption. Thus the steady-state concentration of products and reactants might differ
significantly from equilibrium values. For instance, suppose the reaction A B is driven by
light absorption, and that its rate is Ia, but that the reverse reaction B A is bimolecular and
second-order with a rate k[B]2. What is the stationary state concentration of B? Why does this
photostationary state differ from the equilibrium state?

23.19 Derive an expression for the rate of disappearance of a species A in a photochemical

reaction for which the mechanism is:
(1) initiation with light of intensity I, A R + R
(2) propagation, A + R R + B
(3) termination, R + R R2
Hence, show that rate measurements will give only a combination of k2 and k3 if a steady state is
reached, but that both may be obtained if a steady state is not reached.

23.20 The photochemical chlorination of chloroform in the gas has been found to follow the
13

rate law d[CCl4]/dt = k[Cl2]1/2Ia1/2. Devise a mechanism that leads to this rate law when the
chlorine pressure is high.

23.21

Photolysis of Cr(CO)6 in the presence of certain molecules M, can give rise to the

following reaction sequence:

(1) Cr(CO)6} + hv Cr(CO)5 + CO
(2) Cr(CO)5 + CO Cr(CO)6
(3) Cr(CO)5 + M Cr(CO)5M
(4) Cr(CO)5M Cr(CO)5 + M}
Suppose that the absorbed light intensity is so weak that I << k4[Cr(CO)5M]. Find the factor f in
the equation d[Cr(CO)5M]/dt = -f [Cr(CO)5M]. Show that a graph of 1/f against [M] should be a
straight line.

Applications to: biochemistry and environmental science

23.22 Models of population growth are analogous to chemical reaction rate equations. In the
model due to Malthus (1798) the rate of change of the population N of the planet is assumed to
be given by dN/dt = births - deaths. The numbers of births and deaths are proportional to the
population, with proportionality constants b and d. Obtain the integrated rate law. How well does
it fit the (very approximate) data below on the population of the planet as a function of time.
Year

1750

N/109 0.5

1825

1922

1960

1974

1987

2000

23.23 Many enzyme catalysed reactions are consistent with a modified version of the Michaelis
Menten mechanism in which the second step is also reversible. (a) For this mechanism show that

14

the rate of formation of product is given by

where vmax = kb[E]0, vmax = ka[E]0, KM = (ka + kb)/ka, and , and KM = (ka + kb)/kb. (b) Find the
limiting behaviour of this expression for large and small concentrations of substrate.

23.24 The following results were obtained for the action of an ATPase on ATP at 20C, when the
concentration of the ATPase was 20 nmol dm-3:
[ATP]/(mol dm-3)

0.60

0.80

1.4

2.0

3.0

v/(mol dm-3 s-1)

0.81

0.97

1.30

1.47

1.69

Determine the Michaelis constant, the maximum velocity of the reaction, the turnover number,
and the catalytic efficiency of the enzyme.

##

23.25 Enzyme-catalyzed reactions are sometimes analyzed by use of the EadieHofstee plot, in
which v/[S]0 is plotted against v. (a) Using the simple MichaelisMenten mechanism, derive a
relation between v/[S]0 and v. (b) Discuss how the values of KM and vmax are obtained from
analysis of the EadieHofstee plot. (c) Determine the Michaelis constant and the maximum
velocity of the reaction of the reaction from Exercise 23.23 by using an EadieHofstee plot to
analyze the data.

##

23.26 In general, the catalytic efficiency of an enzyme depends on the pH of the medium in
which it operates. One way to account for this behaviour is to propose that the enzyme and the
enzyme-substrate complex are active only in specific protonation states. This situation can be
summarized by the following mechanism:

15

EH + S _ ESH ka , ka
ESH E +P
kb

EH _ E- + H+
EH2+ _ EH + H+

ESH _ ES- + H+

ESH2 _ ESH + H+
in which only the EH and ESH forms are active. (a) For the mechanism above, show that

with

where vmax and KM correspond to the form EH of the enzyme. (b) For pH values ranging from 0
to 14, plot v max against pH for a hypothetical reaction for which vmax = 1.0 10-6 mol dm-3 s-1,
KES,b = 1.0 10-6 mol dm-3 and KES,a = 1.0 10-8. Is there a pH at which vmax reaches a
maximum value? If so, determine the pH. (c) Redraw the plot in part (b) by using the same value
of vmax, but KES,b = 1.0 10-4 mol dm-3 and KES,a = 1.0 10-10 mol dm-3. Account for any
differences between this plot and the plot from part (b).
23.27 The enzyme carboxypeptidase catalyzes the hydrolysis of polypeptides and here we

16

consider its inhibition. The following results were obtained when the rate of the enzymolysis of
carbobenzoxy-glycyl-D-phenylalanine (CBGP) was monitored without inhibitor:
[CBGP]0/(10-2 mol dm-3)

1.25

3.84

5.81

7.13

Relative reaction rate 0.398 0.669 0.859 1.000

(All rates in this problem were measured with the same concentration of enzyme and are relative
to the rate measured when [CBGP]0 = 0.0713 mol dm-3 in the absence of inhibitor). When 2.0
10-3 mol dm-3 phenylbutyrate ion was added to a solution containing the enzyme and substrate,
the following results were obtained:
[CBGP]0/(10-2 mol dm-3)

1.25

2.50

4.00

5.50

Relative reaction rate 0.172 0.301 0.344 0.548

In a separate experiment, the effect of 5.0 10-2 mol dm-3 benzoate ion was monitored and the
results were:
[CBGP]0/(10-2 mol dm-3)

1.75

2.50

5.00

10.00

Relative reaction rate 0.183 0.201 0.231 0.246

Determine the mode of inhibition of carboxypeptidase by the phenylbutyrate ion and benzoate
ion.

##

23.28 Many biological and biochemical processes involve autocatalytic steps (Problem 23.*). In
the SIR model of the spread and decline of infectious diseases the population is divided into three
classes; the susceptibles, S, who can catch the disease, the infectives, I, who have the disease and
can transmit it, and the removed class, R, who have either had the disease and recovered, are
dead, are immune or isolated. The model mechanism for this process implies the following rate
laws:

17

What are the autocatalytic steps of this mechanism? Find the conditions on the ratio a/r that
decide whether the disease will spread (an epidemic) or die out. Show that a constant population
is built into this system, namely that S + I + R = N, meaning that the time scales of births, deaths
by other causes, and migration are assumed large compared to that of the spread of the disease.

23.29 In light-harvesting complexes, the fluorescence of a chlorophyll molecule is quenched by

nearby chlorophyll molecules. Given that for a pair of chlorophyll a molecules R0 = 5.6 nm, by
what distance should two chlorophyll a molecules be separated to shorten the fluorescence
lifetime from 1 ns (a typical value for monomeric chlorophyll a in organic solvents) to 10 ps? ##

23.30 The light-induced electron transfer reactions in photosynthesis occur because chlorophyll
molecules (whether in monomeric or dimeric forms) are better reducing agents in their electronic
excited states. Justify this observation with the help of molecular orbital theory.

23.31 The emission spectrum of a porphyrin dissolved in O2-saturated water shows a strong band
at 650 nm and a weak band at 1270 nm. In separate experiments, it was observed that the
electronic absorption spectrum of the porphyrin sample showed bands at 420 nm and 550 nm,
and the electronic absorption spectrum of O2-saturated water showed no bands in the visible
range of the spectrum (and therefore no emission spectrum when excited in the same range).
Based on these data alone, make a preliminary assignment of the emission band at 1270 nm.
Propose additional experiments that test your hypothesis.

18

23.32 Ultraviolet radiation photolyzes O3 to O2 and O. Determine the rate at which ozone is
consumed by 305 nm radiation in a layer of the stratosphere of thickness 1 km. The quantum
efficiency is 0.94 at 220 K, the concentration about 8 10-9 mol dm-3, the molar absorption
coefficient 260 dm3 mol-1 cm-1, and the flux of 305 nm radiation about 1 1014 photons cm-2 s-1.
Data from W.B. DeMore, S.P. Sander, D.M. Golden, R.F. Hampson, M.J. Kurylo, C.J. Howard,
A.R. Ravishankara, C.E. Kolb, and M.J. Molina, Chemical kinetics and photochemical data for
use in stratospheric modeling: Evaluation Number 11, JPL Publication 9426 (1994).

23.33 Use the Chapman model to explore the behaviour of a model atmosphere consisting of
pure O2 at 10 Torr and 298 K that is exposed to measurable frequencies and intensities of UV
radiation. (a) Look up the values of k2, k4, and k5 in a source such as the CRC Handbook of
chemistry and physics or Chemical kinetics and photochemical data for use in stratospheric
modeling (the URL is available at the texts web site). The rate constants k1 and k3 depend upon
the radiation conditions; assume values of 1.0 10-8 s-1 and 0.016 s-1, respectively. If you cannot
find a value for k5, formulate chemically sound arguments for exclusion of the fifth step from the
mechanism. (b) Write the rate expressions for the concentration of each chemical species. (c)
Assume that the UV radiation is turned on at t = 0, and solve the rate expressions for the
concentration of all species as a function of time over a period of 4 h. Examine relevant
concentrations in the very early time period t < 0.1 s. State all assumptions. Is there any ozone
present initially? Why must the pressure be low and the UV radiation intensities high for the
production of ozone? Draw graphs of the time variations of both atomic oxygen and ozone on
both the very short and the long time scales. What is the percentage of ozone after 4.0 h of
irradiation? Hint: You will need a software package for solving a stiff system of differential
equations. Stiff differential equations have at least two rate constants with very different values

19

and result in different behaviours on different time scales, so the solution usually requires that the
total time period be broken into two or more periods, one may be very short and another very
long. For help with using mathematical software to solve systems of differential equations, see
M.P. Cady and C.A. Trapp, A Mathcad primer for physical chemistry. Oxford University Press
(1999).

23.34 Chlorine atoms react rapidly with ozone in the gas-phase bimolecular reaction Cl + O3
ClO + O2 with k = (1.7 1010 dm3 mol-1 s-1)e-260/(T/ K) (W.B. DeMore, S.P. Sander, D.M. Golden,
R.F. Hampson, M.J. Kurylo, C.J. Howard, A.R. Ravishankara, C.E. Kolb, and M.J. Molina,
Chemical kinetics and photochemical data for use in stratospheric modeling: Evaluation Number
11, JPL Publication 9426 (1994)). Estimate the rate of this reaction at (a) 20 km, where [Cl] = 5
10-17 mol dm-3, [O3] = 8 10-9 mol dm-3, and T = 220 K; (b) 45 km, where [Cl] = 3 10-15 mol
dm-3, [O3] = 8 10-11 mol dm-3, and T = 270 K.)

23.35 Because of its importance in atmospheric chemistry, the thermal decomposition of nitric
oxide, 2 NO(g) N2(g) + O2(g), has been amongst the most thoroughly studied of gas phase
reactions. The commonly accepted mechanism has been that of H. Wise and M.F. Freech (J.
Chem. Phys. 22, 1724, (1952)):
(1) NO + NO N2O + O

k1

(2) O + NO O2 + N

k2

(3) N + NO N2 + O

k3

(4) O + O + M O2 + M

k4

(5) O2 + M O + O + M

k4

(a) Label the steps of this mechanism as initiation, propagation, etc. (b) Write down the full
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expression for the rate of disappearance of NO. What does this expression for the rate become on
the basis of the assumptions that v2 = v3 when [N] reaches its steady state concentration, that the
rate of the propagation step is more rapid than the rate of the initiation step, and that oxygen
atoms are in equilibrium with oxygen molecules? (c) Find an expression for the effective
activation energy, Ea,eff, for the overall reaction in terms of the activation energies of the
individual steps of the reaction. (d) Estimate Ea,eff from the bond energies of the species involved.
(e) It has been pointed out by R.J. Wu and C.T. Yeh (Int. J. Chem. Kinet. 28, 89 (1996)) that the
reported experimental values of Ea, eff obtained by different authors have varied from 253 to 357
kJ mol-1. They suggest that the assumption of oxygen atoms and oxygen molecules being in
equilibrium is unwarranted and that the steady state approximation needs to be applied to the
entire mechanism. Obtain the overall rate law based on the steady state approximation and find
the forms that it assumes for low NO conversion (low O2 concentration). (f) When the reaction
conversion becomes significant, Wu and Yeh suggest that two additional elementary steps,
(6) O2 + M O + O + M

k6

(7) NO + O2 O + NO2

k7

start to compete with step (1) as the initiation step. Obtain the rate laws based on these alternative
mechanisms and again estimate the apparent activation energies. Is the range of these different
theoretically estimated values for Ea,eff consistent with the range of values obtained
experimentally?

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