The reaction of tert-butyl chloride with methanol(CH3)3C—Cl Tert-butylchloride + CH3—OH methanol —> (CH3)C—OCH3 methyltert-butylether + HCl is found to follow the rate equation rate= Kr[(CH3)3C—Cl] c. What is the kinetic order overall?

Verified step by step guidance

1. Identify the rate equation given in the problem: rate = Kr[(CH3)3C—Cl].
2. Determine the order of reaction with respect to each reactant.
3. Notice that the rate equation only includes the concentration of tert-butyl chloride, [(CH3)3C—Cl].
4. Conclude that the reaction is first order with respect to tert-butyl chloride.
5. Since methanol does not appear in the rate equation, it is zero order with respect to methanol, making the overall kinetic order of the reaction first order.

Key Concepts

Kinetics

Kinetics is the study of the rates of chemical reactions and the factors that affect these rates. It involves understanding how the concentration of reactants influences the speed of a reaction, which is often expressed through rate equations. In this case, the rate equation indicates that the reaction rate depends solely on the concentration of tert-butyl chloride.

Rate Equation

A rate equation describes the relationship between the rate of a chemical reaction and the concentration of its reactants. The general form includes a rate constant and the concentrations raised to a power, which reflects the order of the reaction with respect to each reactant. For the given reaction, the rate equation shows that the reaction is first-order with respect to tert-butyl chloride.

Kinetic Order

Kinetic order refers to the sum of the powers of the concentration terms in the rate equation, indicating how the rate of reaction changes with varying concentrations of reactants. In this case, since the rate equation is first-order in tert-butyl chloride and has no other reactants affecting the rate, the overall kinetic order of the reaction is one.