Of what use is it to find a rate law for a reaction? A) We can use the rate law to directly determine coefficients in the balanced equation. B) From the rate law we can evaluate potential reaction mechanisms. C) The rate law gives us a good indication of the thermodynamic stability of the products. D) The rate law can lead us to determine the equilibrium constant for the reaction.

B) From the rate law we can evaluate potential reaction mechanisms.

Explanation:

The rate law is an equation relating the rate of a chemical reaction to the concentrations or partial pressures of the reactants.

A typical rate law is given as;

For a reaction, A + B --> C

Rate = k [A]^2[B]

Amongst the options the correct option is;

B) From the rate law we can evaluate potential reaction mechanisms.

Rate laws are used to validate proposed reaction mechanisms.

A) We can use the rate law to directly determine coefficients in the balanced equation. This option is wrong because the values in the rate law are experimentally determined.

C) The rate law gives us a good indication of the thermodynamic stability of the products. This is wrong as there is no correlation between  the stability of the products and the rate law.

D) The rate law can lead us to determine the equilibrium constant for the reaction. This is also wrong because the equilibrium constant is obtained from the forward and backward rates.