The rate of a chemical reaction describes how quickly reactants are converted into products over time. It is typically expressed as the change in concentration of a reactant or product per unit of time. Understanding the rate of reaction is crucial in many fields, including chemical engineering, pharmaceuticals, and environmental science.
The general formula for the average rate of reaction is:
Rate = Δ[Concentration] / Δt
where Δ[Concentration] is the change in concentration of a reactant or product, and Δt is the change in time.
This calculator helps you determine the average rate of reaction given the initial and final concentrations of a substance and the time elapsed.
function calculateRateOfReaction() {
var initialConcentration = parseFloat(document.getElementById("initialConcentration").value);
var finalConcentration = parseFloat(document.getElementById("finalConcentration").value);
var timeElapsed = parseFloat(document.getElementById("timeElapsed").value);
var resultDiv = document.getElementById("result");
if (isNaN(initialConcentration) || isNaN(finalConcentration) || isNaN(timeElapsed)) {
resultDiv.innerHTML = "Please enter valid numbers for all fields.";
return;
}
if (timeElapsed <= 0) {
resultDiv.innerHTML = "Time elapsed must be a positive value.";
return;
}
var changeInConcentration = finalConcentration – initialConcentration;
var rate = changeInConcentration / timeElapsed;
var displayRate = rate.toFixed(4); // Display with 4 decimal places
// Determine if it's a rate of consumption or formation based on the sign
var rateDescription = "Average Rate of Reaction";
if (rate 0) {
rateDescription = "Average Rate of Formation of Product";
} else {
rateDescription = "No Change in Concentration";
}
resultDiv.innerHTML = rateDescription + ": " + displayRate + " mol/(L·s)";
}