Rate Law:
```
Rate = k[A]^m[B]^n
```
where:
* Rate: The rate of the reaction, typically measured in units of M/s (moles per liter per second).
* k: The rate constant, a proportionality constant that reflects the intrinsic speed of the reaction.
* [A] and [B] are the concentrations of reactants A and B, respectively.
* m and n are the orders of the reaction with respect to reactants A and B, respectively. They are exponents determined experimentally and indicate how the rate changes with the concentration of each reactant.
Explanation:
* The rate law states that the rate of a reaction is directly proportional to the product of the concentrations of the reactants raised to their respective orders.
* The order of the reaction with respect to a specific reactant is determined experimentally.
* If the order is 0, the rate is independent of the concentration of that reactant.
* If the order is 1, the rate is directly proportional to the concentration of that reactant.
* If the order is 2, the rate is proportional to the square of the concentration of that reactant.
* The overall order of the reaction is the sum of the individual orders with respect to each reactant (m + n in this case).
Example:
Consider the reaction:
```
A + 2B → C
```
If the experimentally determined rate law is:
```
Rate = k[A]^1[B]^2
```
then:
* The reaction is first order with respect to A (m = 1).
* The reaction is second order with respect to B (n = 2).
* The overall order of the reaction is 3 (m + n = 1 + 2).
This means that doubling the concentration of A will double the rate, while doubling the concentration of B will quadruple the rate.
