Errors in rate constants due to subsequent reactions of monitored species

Abstract

Numerical integration type computations are described for calculating errors in rate constants due to subsequent reactions of the monitored species. It is shown that the relative error in the pseudo-first-order rate constant, k_f, is a function not of [R]₀ alone, but of β where β=k_f/[R]₀ and where [R]₀ is the initial concentration of R, the reactant being monitored. The error, as expected, also depends upon k₂, the rate constant for the subsequent reaction. A graph and a table of relative errors as functions of k₂ for various β-values are presented. These are useful for assessing relative errors in rate constants measured using various values of β and for designing new kinetic experiments.