Penicillin G reacts with hydroxylamine (NO2OH) to form hydroxamic acid, which produces a colored complex with iron(III). To determine the overall reaction order, equal concentrations of penicillin and NH2OH were mixed together in a 250-mL flask [J. Chem. Educ., 49, 539 (1972)]. Samples were withdrawn every 10 minutes and added to a solution containing iron(III) chloride. With the aid of a colorimeter, the concentration of the colored complex, and hence the concentration of hydroxamic acid, was obtained as a function of time. The absorbance shown in the table below is directly proportional to the hydroxamic acid concentration. Time(min) 0 10 20 30 40 50 infinity
Absorbance 0.00 0.337 0.433 0.495 0.539 0.561 0.665
(a) Use the nonlinear least squares (i. e., regression) and one other technique to determine the reaction order, , and specific reaction rate, k.
(b) What experimental conditions would you suggest if you were to obtain more data?