CHEM102 Lecture Notes - Lecture 9: Elementary Reaction, Reaction Step, Reaction Mechanism
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Case 1: slow step followed by a fast step(s) Case 2: fast step(s) followed by a slow step. This is a theoretical concept which describes how a reaction occurs through a series of elementary reactions/steps. The chemical equation is a summary of the overall process after all the elementary steps have been carried out/completed. A reaction mechanism must be consistent with the stoichiometry of the overall reaction and must account for the experimentally determined rate law. Mechanisms have many steps and can also have intermediate species present. The intermediate species shows up on both sides of the reaction but must not be present in the overall chemical equation because they are created and consumed throughout the many steps within a mechanism. An elementary step is a reaction that can"t be broken down into other steps and it will occur within a single step. *the molecularity can not be in fractions, negatives, higher than 3, or a zero.
