Abstract:

There are two different views on the definition of reaction molecularity in physical chemistry textbooks and related literatures so far. We give a deep discussion about this conception herein. Starting with the development of chemical kinetics and the definition of elementary reaction and state-state reaction, we clarify that elementary reaction and state-state reaction are the conceptions belonging to macro-and micro-systems, respectively, and reaction molecularity is also belonging to micro-conception. Based on this conclusion, we think that the more reasonable definition of reaction molecularity should be "the number of chemical particles that take part in a state-state reaction (or an elementary chemi-physical reaction) as a reactant".

Key words: Reaction molecularity, Elementary reaction, State-state reaction (or Elementary chemi-physical reaction), Chemical kinetics