NEET levelSingle correct optionDifficulty 1 of 3ck203
In a multi-step mechanism, the rate-determining step is
Athe fastest elementary step
Balways the first elementary step
Cthe slowest elementary step, which controls the overall rate
Dalways the last elementary step, which forms the product
Answer: C
The overall rate of a sequence of steps cannot exceed that of its slowest step, which acts as a bottleneck. Hence the rate-determining step is the slowest elementary step, not necessarily the first or last.