A chemist has proposed the following reaction mechanism for the hydrolysis of PCA: STEP 1: PCA+H_(3)O^(+)⇌HPCA^(+)+H_(2)O HPCA+H_(2)O->C^(+) C^(+)->D+E+H_(3)O^(+) STEP 2: FAST SLOW FAST Selec

a. The rate-determining step is the formation of HPCA^(+).
b. Step 2 is the rate-determining step.
c. Step 3 is the rate-determining step.
d. The reaction is zero order.