Molecularity: meaning, definitions and examples
⚗️
molecularity
[ məˌlekjəˈnɛrɪti ]
chemical reactions
Molecularity refers to the number of molecules that come together to react in a single elementary reaction. It is a key concept in chemical kinetics. There are three main types of molecularity: unimolecular, bimolecular, and trimolecular. Unimolecular reactions involve one molecule, bimolecular reactions involve two molecules, and trimolecular reactions involve three molecules. Understanding molecularity is essential for predicting the rate and mechanism of chemical reactions.
Examples of usage
- The molecularity of the reaction was determined to be bimolecular.
- This unimolecular reaction proceeds through a first-order rate law.
- Trimolecular reactions are rare due to low probability of three molecules colliding simultaneously.
Translations
Translations of the word "molecularity" in other languages:
🇵🇹 molecularidade
🇮🇳 अणुविकता
🇩🇪 Molekularität
🇮🇩 molekularitas
🇺🇦 молекулярність
🇵🇱 molekularność
🇯🇵 分子性
🇫🇷 molecularité
🇪🇸 molecularidad
🇹🇷 molekülerlik
🇰🇷 분자성
🇸🇦 الخصائص الجزيئية
🇨🇿 molekulárnost
🇸🇰 molekulárnosť
🇨🇳 分子性
🇸🇮 molekularnost
🇮🇸 sameindareigin
🇰🇿 молекулярлық
🇬🇪 მოლეკულურობა
🇦🇿 molekulyarlıq
🇲🇽 molecularidad
Etymology
The term 'molecularity' is derived from the word 'molecule', which itself originates from the Latin word 'molecula', meaning 'small mass' or 'tiny particle'. The roots of 'molecule' can be traced back to the Latin adjective 'moleculum', a diminutive of 'moles', referring to a mass or bulk. The concept of molecularity emerged in the field of chemistry in the late 19th century as scientists began to better understand chemical reactions and the behavior of molecules during these reactions. As chemists developed theories of reaction mechanisms, the need to describe the number of molecular entities involved in a given reaction became crucial. Thus, the term molecularity was formally introduced to classify reactions based on the number of reacting molecules. This concept has since become a fundamental part of chemical education and research.