Suppose that you have a solid sample of an organic substance.

You are going to burn the substance in an analytical furnace and

determine whether or not any unburned matter remains. The substance
is somewhat hard, and you receive it in a solid chunk.
(a) Suggest two ways to increase the rate of burning so that your
analysis will take less time.
(b) Explain why your suggestions would work, using the theories you
learned in this section.

Consider two exothermic reactions. Reaction (1) has a much

smaller activation energy than reaction (2).
(a) Sketch a potential energy diagram for each reaction, showing how
the difference in activation energy affects the shape of the graph.
(b) How do you think the rates of reactions (1) and (2) compare?
Explain your answer.

Your friend is confused about the difference between the enthalpy

change and the activation energy of a chemical reaction. Write a few
paragraphs, in which you define each term and distinguish between
them. Use potential energy diagrams to illustrate your answer.

People who have been submerged in very cold water, and

presumed drowned, have sometimes been revived. By contrast, people
who have been submerged for a similar period of time in warmer water
have not survived. Suggest reasons for this difference.

A chemist proposes the following reaction mechanism for a certain

reaction.
Step 1

C (slow)

Step 2

(a) Write the equation for the chemical reaction that is described by
this mechanism.
(b) Write a rate law equation that is consistent with the proposed
mechanism.

Explain why chemical reactions are fastest at

the beginning.
19. Explain why a rate constant must always be
accompanied by the temperature at which it
was determined.
20. Your friend is having trouble understanding
how a rate-determining step in a reaction
mechanism determines the rate of the overall
reaction. Invent a new analogy to explain
the idea to your friend, using a process from
everyday life that involves slow and fast steps.
21. Write a few paragraphs to distinguish
between an activated complex and a reaction
intermediate. Include equations and diagrams
in your explanation.
22. For an endothermic reaction, the activation
energy will always be greater than the enthalpy
change for the reaction.
(a) Do you agree or disagree with this
statement? Explain your answer.
(b) Replace the word endothermic with
exothermic. Do you agree or disagree with
this statement now? Explain your answer.
23. (a) Explain, in your own words, what is meant

by the term activation energy.

7. The rate of decomposition of hydrogen peroxide

was studied at a particular temperature.
H2O2(aq) H2O(_
2
O2(g)
(a) The initial concentration of hydrogen
peroxide was 0.200 mol/L. 10.0 s later,
it was measured to be 0.196 mol/L. What
was the initial rate of the reaction, expressed
in mol/(L s)?
(b) 0.500 L of hydrogen peroxide solution was
used for the experiment. What mass was lost
as O2 bubbled out of solution in this initial
10.0 s interval?

Acetone, CH3COCH3, reacts with iodine in

acidic solution.

The experimentally observed rate law equation

is written as follows:
k
(a) What is the effect on the reaction rate if the
concentration of CH3COCH3 is doubled?
(b) What is the effect on the reaction