Numerical answer
A substance decomposes by two parallel first-order paths, (activation energy ) and (activation energy ). At the product ratio is . Assuming temperature-independent pre-exponential factors and , the ratio at is ______. (Give the answer correct to two decimal places.)
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Answer: 0.64
For parallel first-order paths the ratio of products formed equals the ratio of the rate constants at all times, so . The pre-exponential factors are treated as temperature independent, so taking the ratio at the two temperatures gives . With the right side is . Hence the ratio at is . The path with the higher activation energy gains ground as the temperature rises: at is times its value of , so the product , which needs the larger barrier, is favoured more strongly at higher temperature.
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