Section 3: Multi-step Reactions

Using the law of mass action, we have seen how to predict the rate law of any elementary reaction. We can determine the rate law of a multi-step reaction experimentally using the method of initial rates, but we don’t yet have a way to predict the rate law of a multi-step reaction like we can for an elementary reaction. In part 3, we will explore how to predict the rate laws for various multi-step reactions.