Question

The following mechanism has been proposed for the decomposition of dinitrogen pentoxide?
It has the experimental rate law, rate = -Delta[N2O5] / Delta t = k[N2O5]:

N2O5(g) k2<--->k1 NO2(g) + NO3(g)

NO2(g) + NO3(g) ---K2--> NO(g) + NO2(g) + O2(g)

NO(g) + NO3(g) ---K3--> 2NO2(g)

Note that the first step must be multiplied by two to obtain the overall reaction!

(a) Write a balanced equation for the overall reaction
(b) Identify all reaction intermediates
(c) Show that the proposed mechanism is consistent with the experimental rate law
(d) Relate the rate constant k to the rate