The following mechanism is proposed

For the reaction 2H2O2 + 2HI -> 2H2O + I2, the following mechanism is proposed: 1. H2O2 + HI -> H2O + HOI 2. HOI -> H2O + I2 3. H2O2 + I2 -> 2H2O + O2 Derive an expression for the rate of formation of I2 using the steady-state approximation.

The Correct Answer and Explanation is:

To derive an expression for the rate of formation of I2I_2I2​ in the given reaction using the steady-state approximation, let’s first break down the reaction and its proposed mechanism.

Given Reaction:

2H2O2+2HI→2H2O+I22H_2O_2 + 2HI \rightarrow 2H_2O + I_22H2​O2​+2HI→2H2​O+I2​

Proposed Mechanism:

  1. H2O2+HI→H2O+HOIH_2O_2 + HI \rightarrow H_2O + HOIH2​O2​+HI→H2​O+HOI (Step 1)
  2. HOI→H2O+I2HOI \rightarrow H_2O + I_2HOI→H2​O+I2​ (Step 2)
  3. H2O2+I2→2H2O+O2H_2O_2 + I_2 \rightarrow 2H_2O + O_2H2​O2​+I2​→2H2​O+O2​ (Step 3)

Step-by-Step Approach Using the Steady-State Approximation:

  1. Steady-State Approximation:
    The steady-state approximation assumes that the concentration of intermediates (in this case, HOIHOIHOI and I2I_2I2​) remains approximately constant throughout the reaction. This means that the rate of formation of these intermediates equals the rate of their consumption.
  2. Rate of Formation and Consumption of HOIHOIHOI:
    From Step 1, HOIHOIHOI is produced by the reaction:
    H2O2+HI→H2O+HOIH_2O_2 + HI \rightarrow H_2O + HOIH2​O2​+HI→H2​O+HOI
    The rate of this step is proportional to the concentrations of H2O2H_2O_2H2​O2​ and HIHIHI:
    Rate of formation of HOI=k1[H2O2][HI]\text{Rate of formation of } HOI = k_1[H_2O_2][HI]Rate of formation of HOI=k1​[H2​O2​][HI] From Step 2, HOIHOIHOI is consumed in the reaction:
    HOI→H2O+I2HOI \rightarrow H_2O + I_2HOI→H2​O+I2​
    The rate of consumption of HOIHOIHOI is proportional to the concentration of HOIHOIHOI:
    Rate of consumption of HOI=k2[HOI]\text{Rate of consumption of } HOI = k_2[HOI]Rate of consumption of HOI=k2​[HOI] Using the steady-state approximation for HOIHOIHOI, we set the rate of formation equal to the rate of consumption:
    k1[H2O2][HI]=k2[HOI]k_1[H_2O_2][HI] = k_2[HOI]k1​[H2​O2​][HI]=k2​[HOI]
    Solving for [HOI][HOI][HOI]:
    [HOI]=k1[H2O2][HI]k2[HOI] = \frac{k_1[H_2O_2][HI]}{k_2}[HOI]=k2​k1​[H2​O2​][HI]​
  3. Rate of Formation of I2I_2I2​:
    From Step 2, I2I_2I2​ is produced from the reaction of HOIHOIHOI (which we’ve already solved for):
    HOI→H2O+I2HOI \rightarrow H_2O + I_2HOI→H2​O+I2​
    The rate of formation of I2I_2I2​ is proportional to the concentration of HOIHOIHOI:
    Rate of formation of I2=k2[HOI]\text{Rate of formation of } I_2 = k_2[HOI]Rate of formation of I2​=k2​[HOI] Substituting the expression for [HOI][HOI][HOI] into this rate equation:
    Rate of formation of I2=k2×k1[H2O2][HI]k2=k1[H2O2][HI]\text{Rate of formation of } I_2 = k_2 \times \frac{k_1[H_2O_2][HI]}{k_2} = k_1[H_2O_2][HI]Rate of formation of I2​=k2​×k2​k1​[H2​O2​][HI]​=k1​[H2​O2​][HI]

Thus, the rate of formation of I2I_2I2​ is given by:
Rate of formation of I2=k1[H2O2][HI]\text{Rate of formation of } I_2 = k_1[H_2O_2][HI]Rate of formation of I2​=k1​[H2​O2​][HI]

Final Answer:

The rate of formation of I2I_2I2​ is k1[H2O2][HI]k_1[H_2O_2][HI]k1​[H2​O2​][HI], where k1k_1k1​ is the rate constant for the first step in the reaction mechanism. This expression indicates that the rate depends on the concentrations of H2O2H_2O_2H2​O2​ and HIHIHI.

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