A student plots the instantaneous rate of an unknown single-reactant reaction precisely against the — Chemical Kinetics Chemistry Question
Question
A student plots the instantaneous rate of an unknown single-reactant reaction precisely against the square of its molar concentration, plotting $\text{Rate}$ vs $[A]^2$. The resulting graph is a mathematically perfect straight sloped line cleanly projecting through the origin. What is the overall kinetic order?
💡 Solution & Explanation
If plotting Rate vs $[A]^2$ actively produces a perfect straight line $y = mx$ tracing through the origin, it inherently proves the rigid mathematical relation $\text{Rate} = k \cdot [A]^2$. Because the total power of the concentration term driving the linear slope is exactly 2, it is fundamentally a pure Second Order reaction.