Silver Bullet for the Conceptual Comprehension of the Terms Negative Order and Fractional Order in the Field of Chemical Kinetics

R. Sanjeev^1, , V. Jagannadham², Adam A Skelton¹ and R. Veda Vrath³

¹Department of Pharmacy, School of Health Science, University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, South Africa

²Department of Chemistry Osmania University, Hyderabad, India

³Department of Chemistry L N Gupta Evening College, Hyderabad, India

Cite this paper:
R. Sanjeev, V. Jagannadham, Adam A Skelton and R. Veda Vrath. Silver Bullet for the Conceptual Comprehension of the Terms Negative Order and Fractional Order in the Field of Chemical Kinetics. World Journal of Chemical Education. 2014; 2(1):4-7. doi: 10.12691/wjce-2-1-2

Abstract

The textbook followed by freshmen engineering students (at least in reputed universities of India), is “Elements of Physical Chemistry,” by Peter Atkins and Julio de Paula. Considerable amount of chemical kinetics is dealt in this book, but negative order and fractional orders, which are fundamental for the complete comprehension of chemical kinetics, are not dealt conceptually in this book. The same is the case with other standard text books meant for freshmen undergraduate students. Many a time, even after grappling with complex problems in accounting of rate laws, students do not understand the precise conceptual meaning of these terms. The conspicuous absence of conceptual explanations of these terms in the freshmen text books has prompted us to write this article. The authors are of the opinion that, after going through this article one would definitely feel that, this article is a silver bullet for the conceptual comprehension of the terms negative order and fractional orders in the field of chemical kinetics.

Keywords:
order elementary reaction sensitivity negative order of reaction fractional order of reactions

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License. To view a copy of this license, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

References:

[1]	Raymond Chang. Chemistry, Ninth Edition, pp 553.
[2]	D. L. Chapman and H. E. Jones, “CCLIV.-The homogeneous decomposition of ozone in the presence of oxygen and other gases”, J. Chem. Soc., Vol., 97, 1910, pp. 2463-2477.
[3]	D. L. Chapman and H. E. Clarke, “CLX.-The measurement of a homogeneous chemical change in a gas. (The thermal decomposition of ozone.)”, J. Chem. Soc., Vol. 93, 1908, pp. 1638-1645.
[4]	Stephan Jahn, “Beitrage zur Kenntnis des Ozons” Z. Anorg. Chem., Vol.48, 1906, pp. 260-293, See also E. P. Perman and R. H. Greaves. “The Decomposition of Ozone”, Proc. R. Soc., London A, Vol. 80, 1908, pp. 353-358.
[5]	S.W. Benson and A.E. Axworthy, “Mechanism of the Gas Phase, Thermal Decomposition of Ozone”, J. Chem. Phys. Vol. 26, 1957, pp. 1718-1726.
[6]	Peter Atkins and Julio de Paula, Elements of Physical of Chemistry; Fourth Indian Edition, pp. 278-279.
[7]	Peter Atkins and Julio de Paula, Elements of Physical of Chemistry; Fourth Indian Edition; pp. 283.