The half-life of a reactant is the time taken for the concentration of a reactant to reduce by half. For a first order reaction
If the order is one with respect to a reactant, the rate of reaction doubles if the concentration of the reactant doubles. The rate is directly proportional to the concentration. A first-order reaction has a constant half-life.
If the order is two with respect to a reactant, the rate is proportional to the square of the concentration of the reactant. A second-order reaction has an increasing half-life.

Half-Lives and Reaction Rate Graphs
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Specification: OCR Chemistry A (H432), A-level, 5.1.1 How fast?. Topic: Rate of Reaction.
Key terms in this lesson
- order of reaction
- The power to which the concentration of a reactant is raised in the rate equation.
More in Rate of Reaction
- Experimental Determination of the Rate of Reaction
- The Rate Equation
- The Order of a Reaction
- The Rate Constant k
- Worked Example
- The Rate Determining Step
- Catalysts
- The Effect of Temperature and Catalysts on the Rate Constant.
All 11 lessons in Rate of Reaction · All OCR A-level Chemistry topics