Molecularity of a reactiona)Cannot be less than 2b)Can be zeroc)Is alw...
Molecularity of a reaction:
The molecularity of a reaction refers to the number of molecules or atoms that participate in a single step of a chemical reaction. It determines the order of the reaction and helps in understanding the reaction mechanism.
Options:
- Option a) Cannot be less than 2: This statement is not correct. The molecularity of a reaction can be 0, 1, 2, or even higher.
- Option b) Can be zero: This statement is correct. The molecularity of a reaction can be zero for certain reactions where only one molecule is involved, such as radioactive decay or unimolecular reactions.
- Option c) Is always a natural number: This statement is correct. The molecularity of a reaction is always a natural number, which means it is a positive integer (including zero).
- Option d) Can have fractional values: This statement is not correct. The molecularity of a reaction cannot have fractional values since it represents the number of molecules or atoms involved, which cannot be fractional.
Explanation:
The molecularity of a reaction is determined by the number of reactant molecules or atoms that collide together to form the products. It is often equal to the sum of the stoichiometric coefficients of the reactants in the balanced chemical equation.
Based on the reaction mechanism, reactions can be classified as:
Unimolecular reactions:
In unimolecular reactions, only one molecule is involved in the rate-determining step. These reactions have a molecularity of 1. For example:
A → Products
Bimolecular reactions:
In bimolecular reactions, two molecules collide to form the products. These reactions have a molecularity of 2. For example:
A + B → Products
Termolecular reactions:
In termolecular reactions, three molecules collide simultaneously to form the products. These reactions have a molecularity of 3. However, termolecular reactions are relatively rare due to the low probability of three molecules colliding simultaneously.
A + B + C → Products
Zero-order reactions:
In some reactions, the rate is independent of the concentration of one or more reactants. These reactions have a molecularity of 0. For example:
A → Products
Therefore, the correct answer is option c) Is always a natural number. The molecularity of a reaction is always a positive integer (including zero) and can be 0, 1, 2, or even higher depending on the reaction mechanism.