The number of moles of a species, i, undergoing chemical change per unit volume of reactor, V, per unit time:
It may be expressed in terms of the rate of decrease in concentration of a reactant or the rate of increase in concentration of a product. The rate of reaction may be affected by the concentration of reactants, pressure, temperature, physical form of the reactants, and the presence of catalysts. Convention uses a negative sign to represent the disappearance of reactants and a positive sign to represent product formation.