Order (chemistry) - Mixed Order

Mixed Order

In a mixed-order reaction, the order of a reaction changes in the course of a reaction as a result of changing variables such as pH. An example is the oxidation of an alcohol to a ketone by a ruthenate (RuO42−) and a hexacyanoferrate, the latter serving as the sacrificial catalyst converting Ru(IV) back to Ru(VI): the disappearing-rate of the ferrate is zero-order with respect to the ferrate at the onset of the reaction (when its concentration is high and the ruthenium catalyst is quickly regenerated) but changes to first-order when its concentration decreases.

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