Higher order (>3) reactions are rare due to:
- (A)increase in entropy and activation energy as more molecules are involved
- (B)shifting of equilibrium towards reactants due to elastic collisions
- (C)loss of active species on collision
- (D)low probability of simultaneous collision of all the reacting species✓ Correct
Answer: (D)
Solution
A reaction's order tops out in practice because every elementary step needs its reactant molecules to meet at one place and one instant. Asking four or more molecules to collide simultaneously, all suitably oriented and energetic, is statistically almost hopeless. That vanishing probability of a many-body simultaneous collision is why reactions of order higher than three are so seldom seen.
JEE Main · 2015 · 04 Apr 2015 · Offline · Single correct option