Moderate

Hydrolysis of ethyl acetate into acetic acid and ethanol in the presence of mineral acid is:

Correct answer: B. Pseudo 1st order reaction

  • A. Fractional order reaction
  • B. Pseudo 1st order reaction
  • C. 1st order reaction
  • D. 2nd order reaction

Explanation

Although the reaction is second order overall (first order in ethyl acetate and first order in H₂O), water is in large excess, so its concentration is essentially constant.This makes the reaction appear to follow first-order kinetics, called a pseudo first-order reaction.

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Reaction kinetics relates reaction rate to concentration, temperature, surface area and catalysts. Questions cover rate laws, reaction order, rate constants, activation energy and the activated complex, including how a catalyst lowers the activation energy without changing the overall energy change or equilibrium position.

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