Erratum: "Reaction rate constant for radiative association of CF⁺" [J. Chem. Phys. 144, 044302 (2016)]

The rate of reaction is the change in the amount of a reactant or product per unit time. Reaction rates are therefore determined by measuring the time dependence of some property that can be related to reactant or product amounts. Rates of reactions that consume or produce gaseous substances, for example, are conveniently determined by measuring changes in volume or pressure.
The mathematical representation of the change in the concentration of reactants and products, over time, is the rate...

The rate of a reaction is affected by the concentrations of reactants. Rate laws (differential rate laws) or rate equations are mathematical expressions describing the relationship between the rate of a chemical reaction and the concentration of its reactants.
For example, in a generic reaction aA + bB ⟶ products, where a and b are stoichiometric coefficients, the rate law can be written as:

The Collision Theory
Atoms, molecules, or ions must collide before they can react with each other. Atoms must be close together to form chemical bonds. This premise is the basis for a theory that explains many observations regarding chemical kinetics, including factors affecting reaction rates.
The collision theory is based on the postulates that (i) the reaction rate is proportional to the rate of reactant collisions, (ii) the reacting species collide in an orientation allowing contact between...

The Arrhenius equation,

The rate-determining step, or RDS, in a chemical reaction is the slowest step that determines the overall reaction rate. It is identified by using the observed rate law and typically involves approximation methods like the RDS approximation or the steady-state approximation.In the RDS approximation, also known as the rate-limiting-step or equilibrium approximation, the reaction mechanism consists of one or more reversible reactions near equilibrium, followed by a slower RDS, and then one or...

The steady-state approximation, also referred to as the quasi-steady-state approximation to differentiate it from a true steady state, is a widely used method for simplifying calculations in complex reaction mechanisms. This approach is particularly useful when dealing with multi-step reactions that involve reverse reactions or several steps, which can significantly increase mathematical complexity and make the reactions nearly unsolvable analytically.The steady-state approximation operates on...