Kinetics of Two-step Irreversible Consecutive First Order Reactions

Department of Chemistry, Madras Christian College, Tambaram, Madras-600 059

Department of Chemistry, Tagore Arts College, Pondicherry-605 008

Manuscript received 12 July /995, accepted 27 October 1995

Analytical expressions for the concentrations and the rates of formation of Intermediate and product are known for consecutive reactions. These expressions break down when the rate constants for the first and the second steps are equal. Using the approximate method and the 1'Hospital rule, equations have been derived for the concentrations and the rates of formation of the Intermediate and the product and also the time when the rate of product formation is a maximum, when the rate constants of the two steps are equal.