Question

The units of rate constant for a reaction are mol L⁻¹ s⁻¹. What is the order of the reaction?

State the order of reaction whose rate constant possess the following unit:

mol L⁻¹ s⁻¹

Answer 1

Given:

Units of the rate constant k = mol L⁻¹ s⁻¹

For a reaction of order nnn, the units of the rate constant are

\[\ce{Units of k = \frac{mol L^{-1} s^{-1}}{(mol L^{-1})^n}}\]

= mol¹⁻ⁿ Lⁿ⁻¹ s⁻¹

We compare

mol¹⁻ⁿ Lⁿ⁻¹ s⁻¹ = mol L⁻¹ s⁻¹

This matches when:

1 − n = 1 ⇒ n = 0

n − 1 = −1 → also gives n = 0

∴ Order of reaction is 0