The decomposition of gaseous compound N proceeds by an unknown mechanism to form gaseous products. The initial-rate data at 700 K are summarized below.
Experiment | [N]₀ (mol L⁻¹) | [M]₀ (mol L⁻¹) | Initial Rate (mol L⁻¹ s⁻¹)
1 | 0.050 | 0.050 | 1.2 × 10⁻⁴
2 | 0.050 | 0.100 | 2.4 × 10⁻⁴
3 | 0.100 | 0.050 | 4.8 × 10⁻⁴
Species M is known to participate as a reactant in at least one step of the mechanism.
Address the following questions.
(a) Use the data to derive the rate law for the reaction. Clearly indicate the orders in [N] and [M].
(b) Based on the rate law from part (a), infer a plausible elementary step, including stoichiometric coefficients, that could by itself account for the observed kinetics.
(c) Explain why the elementary step you wrote in part (b) is more reasonable than any alternative involving a simultaneous four-particle collision.