Reaction Orders

Definition

Reaction orders describe how the rate of a chemical reaction changes as the concentration of its reactants change. It can be zero, first, or second order.

Related terms

Zero Order Reaction: A reaction whose rate is independent of the concentration of its reactants.

First Order Reaction:

A reaction whose rate is directly proportional to the concentration of one reactant.

Second Order Reaction:

A reaction whose rate is proportional to the square of the concentration of one reactant or to the product of two concentrations.