Reaction Orders
Definition
Reaction orders describe how the rate of a chemical reaction changes as the concentration of its reactants change. It can be zero, first, or second order.
Analogy
Think of reaction orders like different gears on a bike. In zero order reactions, it's like pedaling in a flat terrain where your speed doesn't depend on how hard you pedal (concentration). In first order reactions, it's like going uphill - the harder you pedal (higher concentration), the faster you go. Second order reactions are like going uphill but the slope gets steeper - so doubling your effort (doubling concentration) more than doubles your speed.
Related terms
Zero Order Reaction: A reaction whose rate is independent of the concentration of its reactants.
First Order Reaction: A reaction whose rate is directly proportional to the concentration of one reactant.
Second Order Reaction: A reaction whose rate is proportional to the square of the concentration of one reactant or to the product of two concentrations.
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