Question

Which of the following does not hold true for gas-solid catalyzed reactions?

(a) Rate law is preferably written in terms of partial pressures

(b) Rate law is preferably written in terms of concentrations

(c) Rate law can be written only in terms of partial pressures

(d) Rate law can be written only in terms of concentrations

This question was posed to me in an interview for internship.

My question is from Non in division Rate Laws and Stoichiometry of Chemical Reaction Engineering

Answer 1

The correct choice is (a) Rate law is preferably written in terms of partial pressures

The explanation: In most cases, for gas-solid catalyzed reactions we write the rate law in terms of partial pressures as it makes the analysis simpler. Also, it is preferable because measuring pressure is easier than measuring concentration. Partial pressure and concentration are directly related and the rate law can very easily be represented in either form.