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Half-Lives and Reaction Rate Graphs

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

k = ln 2 ÷ t½

If the order is zero with respect to a reactant, the concentration of the reactant does not affect the rate of reaction. A zero-order reaction has a decreasing half-life.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.

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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.

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