Questions: Consider the following mechanism for the decomposition of dinitrogen monoxide: N2O(g) → N2(g) + O(g) N2O(g) + O(g) → N2(g) + O2(g) Write the chemical equation of the overall reaction: Are there any intermediates in this mechanism? If there are intermediates, write down their chemical formulas. Put a comma between each chemical formula, if there's more than one.

Solution Steps

To find the overall reaction, we add the two given steps:

1. \(\mathrm{N}_{2} \mathrm{O}(g) \rightarrow \mathrm{N}_{2}(g) + \mathrm{O}(g)\)
2. \(\mathrm{N}_{2} \mathrm{O}(g) + \mathrm{O}(g) \rightarrow \mathrm{N}_{2}(g) + \mathrm{O}_{2}(g)\)

Adding these steps, we get: \[ \mathrm{N}_{2} \mathrm{O}(g) + \mathrm{N}_{2} \mathrm{O}(g) \rightarrow \mathrm{N}_{2}(g) + \mathrm{O}(g) + \mathrm{N}_{2}(g) + \mathrm{O}_{2}(g) \]

Simplifying, we obtain: \[ 2\mathrm{N}_{2} \mathrm{O}(g) \rightarrow 2\mathrm{N}_{2}(g) + \mathrm{O}_{2}(g) \]

An intermediate is a species that is produced in one step of a reaction mechanism and consumed in a subsequent step. In this mechanism, \(\mathrm{O}(g)\) is produced in the first step and consumed in the second step.

The intermediate in this mechanism is \(\mathrm{O}(g)\).

Final Answer