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Mistake Master · AP Chemistry · Unit 5 · Step-Through Animation

The Steps Are Real. The Overall Equation Is a Summary.

You'll learnhow a reaction runs as a sequence of elementary steps that must sum to the overall equation.

2 NO + O2 → 2 NO2 asks three molecules to arrive at one point at one instant, which essentially never happens. Watch what the reaction does instead, and watch one species get made and then quietly eaten. Twelve short steps; press Next for each one.

12 STEPS · 6 QUICK CHECKS · STEPS → SUM → CANCEL THE INTERMEDIATE · v4

two real steps · one sum · the species that cancels
Before you start
What you're looking at
The reaction 2 NO + O₂ → 2 NO₂, and three molecules being asked to arrive at one point together.
The question
If that triple meeting almost never happens, how does the reaction run?
Step 1 / 12