Question
Why molecularity is applicable only for elementary reactions and order is applicable for elementary as well as complex reactions?
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Answer
A complex reaction occurs through several elementary reactions. Numbers of molecules involved in each elementary reaction may be different i.e., the molecularity of each step may be different. Therefore, the molecularity of overall complex reaction is meaningless. On the other hand, order of a complex reaction is experimentally determined by the slowest step in its mechanism and is therefore, applicable even in the case of complex reactions.
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