TCE

The Chemical Educator

ISSN: 1430-4171 (electronic version)

Table of Contents

Abstract Volume 24 (2019) pp 75-79

A Note on Detailed Balance and Absolute Concentration Robustness in the Teaching of Chemical Kinetics

Paul G. Jasien

Department of Chemistry & Biochemistry, California State University, San Marcos, San Marcos, CA 92096, Jasien@csusm.edu
Received January 13, 2019. Accepted March 20, 2019.

Published: 23 April 2019

Abstract. The teaching of chemical kinetics in the upper-division physical chemistry course typically involves an introduction to the analysis of complex multi-step mechanisms. Some of these examples, although interesting, may not be chemically meaningful due to constraints imposed by detailed balance. In this report, the constraints of detailed balance as applied to the phenomenon of Absolute Concentration Robustness (ACR) will be examined. ACR provides an excellent example for teaching chemical kinetics in the undergraduate classroom. In addition, the analysis of mechanisms with ACR also illustrates the limitations of certain assumptions often made in analyzing complex mechanisms at the undergraduate level.

Key Words: In the Classroom; physical chemistry

(*) Corresponding author. (E-mail: Jasien@csusm.edu)

Article in PDF format (174 KB) HTML format

Supporting Materials:

Mathematica solutions for the steady state/equilibrium concentrations for the mechanisms of (A) eq 6 and (B) eq 22. (1050 KB)

© The Chemical Educator 1996-2024