Does Stirring Increase Accuracy of Rate Law Calculation?

Click For Summary
SUMMARY

The discussion centers on the impact of stirring on the accuracy of rate law calculations in chemical reactions. It concludes that stirring can enhance accuracy by ensuring uniform distribution of reactants, which is crucial since rate laws assume that the activity of reactants is proportional to their concentrations. The participants agree that non-uniform concentrations can lead to varying reaction rates, thereby affecting the reliability of the calculated rate law. The importance of maintaining consistent initial concentrations at a specified temperature is emphasized for accurate measurements.

PREREQUISITES
  • Understanding of chemical kinetics and rate laws
  • Familiarity with the concept of reaction rates and concentration
  • Knowledge of the significance of uniform reactant distribution
  • Basic principles of experimental design in chemistry
NEXT STEPS
  • Research the effects of stirring on reaction kinetics in chemical experiments
  • Study the principles of concentration and activity in chemical reactions
  • Explore methods for measuring reaction rates accurately
  • Learn about the implications of non-uniform concentration distributions in reaction dynamics
USEFUL FOR

Chemistry students, researchers in chemical kinetics, and laboratory technicians involved in experimental design and analysis of reaction rates.

Macroer
Messages
27
Reaction score
0
An experiment was done by me to determine the rate law of a reactant. If the reaction occurred faster(ex. by just stirring reactants), would the accuracy of rate law calculated increase? If it doesn't increase accuracy, then what is the point of stirring/swirling the reactants?

I think that the accuracy would increase, because the rate law is most accurate for the initial concentrations at an specified temperature, and this changes more throughout a longer experiment, than a shorter one. So a faster experimental rate of reaction would increase the accuracy. Need some confirmation. Thanks.
 
Chemistry news on Phys.org
The rate laws using concentrations assume that the activity of the reactants are approximately equal to their concentrations, which is a fair assumption at low concentrations and temperature.

Regarding your question about stirring, it might be useful to have the rectants uniformly spread throughout the container.
 
espen180 said:
The rate laws using concentrations assume that the activity of the reactants are approximately equal to their concentrations, which is a fair assumption at low concentrations and temperature.

Regarding your question about stirring, it might be useful to have the rectants uniformly spread throughout the container.

Right, i don't understand why it needs to be uniform.
 
In which situation do you think the reaction A+B->C will proceed faster, given the rate law r=k[A]. Remember that the rate law applies only locally.

1) A and B uniformly distributed throughout the container.

2) A on the bottom and B on the top, with smaller region in between where they are mixed.
 
Macroer said:
Right, i don't understand why it needs to be uniform.

If the concentrations of the reactants vary at different points in the solution, then the reaction rate will also not be the same at all points in the solution.
 

Similar threads

  • · Replies 8 ·
Replies
8
Views
4K
  • · Replies 13 ·
Replies
13
Views
7K
  • · Replies 6 ·
Replies
6
Views
2K
Replies
1
Views
3K
  • · Replies 19 ·
Replies
19
Views
4K
  • · Replies 131 ·
5
Replies
131
Views
10K
  • · Replies 7 ·
Replies
7
Views
3K
  • · Replies 8 ·
Replies
8
Views
8K
  • · Replies 2 ·
Replies
2
Views
9K
  • · Replies 1 ·
Replies
1
Views
3K