06523 Kinetics' Preparation for exam

1
06523 Kinetics. Preparation for exam

• The questions for the main exam and the resit
  exam can be expected to test some or all of the
  following
• knowledge of the contents of the course
• ability to carry out calculations on kinetic data
• ability to interpret rate laws.
• The questions are designed for 30 minutes with a
  moderate amount of thinking time.
• Descriptive topics could include
• How to measure rate data by integral and
  differential methods
• Basic familiarity with all types of reactions and
  reaction mechanisms covered in the text

2
Calculations

• How to use kinetic data to determine
• rate laws, i.e., the reaction order for any
  component
• values for rate constants.
• Integral data variation of concentration or
  partial pressure over time
• Need to learn solutions for the main simple cases
• Zero order
• 1st order
• 2nd order in one component
• or know how to derive these solutions by
  integration.
• Differential data variation of initial rate with
  concentration or partial pressure
• How to calculate reaction order for a single
  reactant from 2 experiments
• How to plot data to determine reaction order
• Determination of activation energy from 2 data
  points and graphical method from multiple data
  points
• Enzyme kinetics
• How to plot data to determine maximum rate and KM

3
Kinetics and mechanism

• Contents of lectures 4 -8
• Need to understand how to relate observed rate
  law to proposed mechanism and the main
  approximations used to simplify the rate laws for
  multi-step mechanisms.
• No need to learn in detail any of the examples in
  the course.
• Complex rate laws in general take longer than 30
  minutes. These were tested in the
  problem-solving seminar.

4
Fundamental theory

• Collision theory and transition state theoryNeed
  a good descriptive background knowledge.
• No need to learn any complex mathematical
  derivations.
• No need to learn any complex mathematical
  expressions unless they have been clearly
  highlighted.