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

2 NO + O₂ → 2 NO₂ asks three molecules to collide at the same instant, in the right orientation, with enough energy. That essentially never happens. So the reaction does something else: it goes in steps, and the steps are what actually occur. A mechanism is that sequence — and the one hard rule is that the steps must sum to the overall equation. Which is where the species that gets made and then eaten quietly disappears.

8 STEPS · 6 QUICK CHECKS · STEPS → SUM → CANCEL THE INTERMEDIATE · v1