The Kinetic Order of a Reaction

Question

The kinetic order of a reaction
A) can be determined by inspection from the coefficients of the balanced equation
B) must be determined experimentally
C) always depends on the concentration of enzyme
D) never depends on concentrations of reactants

Accepted Answer

The kinetic order of a reaction describes how the rate of the reaction depends on the concentrations of the reactants. It cannot be determined by inspection from the coefficients of the balanced equation or be dependent on the concentration of the enzyme. Therefore, it must be determined experimentally by measuring the reaction rate at different concentrations of reactants. The kinetic order can vary for different reactions and is not a fixed property of a reaction.