When a chemical reaction is in the ______________, the reactant bonds are just ready to break and the product bonds are just ready to form.

Short Answer

Expert verified
When a chemical reaction is in the \(activated complex\) or \(transition state\), the reactant bonds are just ready to break and the product bonds are just ready to form.

Step by step solution

01

Understand the terminology

The given state is a critical point in a chemical reaction where the reactants change into the products. It's a point of transition and highly unstable.
02

Identify the term for this state

The term that describes this state, where reactant bonds are about to break and product bonds are about to form, is "activated complex" or "transition state". These terms refer to the same concept in chemistry. The complete sentence would be: When a chemical reaction is in the activated complex or transition state, the reactant bonds are just ready to break and the product bonds are just ready to form.

Unlock Step-by-Step Solutions & Ace Your Exams!

  • Full Textbook Solutions

    Get detailed explanations and key concepts

  • Unlimited Al creation

    Al flashcards, explanations, exams and more...

  • Ads-free access

    To over 500 millions flashcards

  • Money-back guarantee

    We refund you if you fail your exam.

Over 30 million students worldwide already upgrade their learning with Vaia!

One App. One Place for Learning.

All the tools & learning materials you need for study success - in one app.

Get started for free

Most popular questions from this chapter

A student says to you, "Catalysts are not used up in chemical reactions because they are not involved in the reactions." Is this statement true or false? Why?

Ace chemistry student Sidney Einstein (no relation) was carrying out a kinetics experiment in lab which produces iodine and uses starch as an indicator. In the first minute after mixing, Sidney spilled some of the solution. Rather than start over, he decided to pour out more solution until he had exactly half the original volume in the tube. Given that the particular reaction under investigation was second order in the reactant being investigated and was supposed to change color after 10 minutes, approximately how long (minutes) will it be before Sidney sees a color change? Explain briefly!

In a kinetic study of the reaction \(2 \mathrm{~A}(g)+\mathrm{B}(g) \rightarrow \mathrm{P}(g)\) the following rate data were obtained. Write the rate law with proper orders. Give the overall order of the reaction. Finally, state what this problem confirms about the relationship between reactant orders and coefficients in the balanced equation. $$\begin{array}{cccc} & & & \begin{array}{l} \text { Rate of } \\ \text { disappearance } \end{array} \\ \text { Experiment } & {[\mathbf{A}]} & {[\mathrm{B}]} & \text { of A }(\mathrm{M} / \mathrm{s}) \\ \hline 1 & 0.0125 \mathrm{M} & 0.0253 \mathrm{M} & 0.0281 \\ 2 & 0.0250 \mathrm{M} & 0.0253 \mathrm{M} & 0.0562 \\ 3 & 0.0125 \mathrm{M} & 0.0506 \mathrm{M} & 0.1124 \end{array}$$

In the substitution reaction of \(\mathrm{Cl}^{-}\) for \(\mathrm{OH}^{-}\) in 2-propanol, explain how \(\mathrm{Zn}^{2+}\) acts as a catalyst to increase the reaction rate.

Why would decreasing the volume of a container in which a gas-phase reaction is taking place speed up the reaction?

See all solutions

Recommended explanations on Chemistry Textbooks

View all explanations

What do you think about this solution?

We value your feedback to improve our textbook solutions.

Study anywhere. Anytime. Across all devices.

Sign-up for free