Question

The rate law is, rate = $k{\left[ A \right]^x}$. What is the effect on rate if $x$ is negative?

Answer 1

We must know that the rate law must be tentatively decided and can be utilized to foresee the relation between the concentration of the reactants and the rate of the reaction. The rate (speed of the reaction) law for a reaction is colligate with the equation that relates the reaction rate with the concentrations or partial pressure of the reactants.

Complete step by step answer:
When studying a reaction, it’s important to think about not only the chemical properties of the reactants, but also the conditions under which the reaction occurs, the mechanism by which it takes place, the speed (rate) at which it occurs, and therefore the equilibrium towards which it proceeds.
The sum of the index of its concentration terms is the order of the rate law.
For the reaction:
$aA \to P$
The rate law for the reaction is follows:
Rate = $k{[A]^x}$
In the above equation, $[A]$ is the concentration of the species A, unit moles per liter, $x$ is the order with respect to the species A, this is determined experimentally and lastly, $k$ is the rate coefficient of the reaction or the rate constant for the reaction. Temperature, ionic strength, pressure, etc. are the conditions which are dependent by the value $k$ .
The rate law is, rate = $k{\left[ A \right]^x}$. If $x$ is negative order, which means that the concentration of the species inversely influences the rate of the reaction.

Note: We need to remember that the $x$ is also a positive or negative integer. If $x$ is positive order, which means that the concentration of the species directly influences the rate of the reaction and if $x$ is zero order, then the concentration of the species does not influence the rate of the reaction.
If $x$ also non-integer order sometimes, i.e., both positive and negative, represent a very complicated or detailed relationship between the concentration and rate of the reaction that is more in the complex.