alleryStart learning →Which step in a multistep mechanism sets the rate of the overall reaction?
AThe slowest elementary step in the sequence
BThe fastest elementary step in the sequence
CThe final elementary step in the sequence
DThe first elementary step in the sequence
Answer & Solution
Correct answer: A. The slowest elementary step in the sequence
1. Every step in the sequence must happen for products to appear.
2. The whole sequence cannot run faster than its slowest member.
3. That slowest step is called the rate-determining or rate-limiting step.
4. It may sit anywhere in the sequence, so being first or last is not what matters.
5. A cattle chute is the everyday picture: the herd moves only as fast as one animal can pass through.
_Source: OpenStax Chemistry (CC BY 4.0), Ch 12 "Kinetics", section 12.6 Reaction Mechanisms_
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