Rate laws express the relationship between the reaction rate and the concentrations of reactants. They are typically derived from experimental data and can be used to predict the behavior of the reaction under different conditions. For catalytic reactions, the rate law often takes the form: Rate = k [A]^m [B]^n where k is the rate constant, [A] and [B] are the concentrations of the reactants, and m and n are the reaction orders with respect to each reactant.
