ecomposition has been presented in Chemical Reviews, November 2001. There are two possible pathways for these reactions, one unimolecular and the other bimolecular with the help of OH- ions.
Path 1. BrCl2CCO2- + H2O goes to CHCl2Br + HCO3-
With a pseudo-first-order rate constant k1=1.6 x 10-6 1/sec
Path 2. BrCl2CCO2- + OH- goes to Cl2OHCCO2- + Br-
With a second-order rate constant k2=2.4x10-4 1/(M sec)
(a) Write the overall rate law for the disappearance of BrCl2CCO2.
(b) What is the ratio of the rates for paths 1 and 2 at pH=7?
(c) At what pH would the rate for path 2 be 10% of the rate for path 1?