AP Chemistry / Unit 5: Kinetics
5.10 Multistep Reaction Energy Profile
Notes
Each step has its own peak. The highest peak above the starting point (largest $E_a$ step) is the rate-determining step. Valleys between peaks are intermediates.
Practice
On a two-step profile, the valley between the peaks represents:
A short-lived species.
The step with the higher activation energy is:
Higher barrier, slower.
A profile with three peaks has how many elementary steps?
One peak per step.
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