Solution

ID: past-exam-of-the-chemistry-course-of-the-year-1-of-the-natural-sciences-course-of-the-university-of-cambridge/2024/paper-1/4/c/ii/solution

The estimate is . During the initial buildup, assume instantaneous mixing, initially zero ONOO, constant temperature, and negligible depletion of NO and oxygen. Their concentrations can then be held fixed while solving for :
The initial-value solution is . Setting gives
A constant-initial-rate estimate gives , consistent to about 5%. The intermediate concentration and total reaction progress over this interval are tiny relative to NO, supporting the negligible-depletion approximation. The actual onset could be limited by mixing or instrumental response; a large vessel does not itself guarantee homogeneous mixing in microseconds.

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