Skip to main content
Ch.14 - Chemical Kinetics
Chapter 14, Problem 47c

Consider the data presented in Exercise 14.19. (c) What is the half-life for the reaction?
Table showing time in minutes and corresponding moles of substance C for chemical kinetics.

Verified step by step guidance
1
Step 1: Identify the initial concentration of substance C at time t=0, which is 0.045 moles.
Step 2: Determine the concentration of substance C at various time intervals from the table provided.
Step 3: Calculate the time it takes for the concentration of substance C to decrease to half of its initial value (0.045/2 = 0.0225 moles).
Step 4: Compare the calculated half concentration with the values in the table to find the corresponding time.
Step 5: The time at which the concentration of substance C is closest to 0.0225 moles is the half-life of the reaction.

Verified video answer for a similar problem:

This video solution was recommended by our tutors as helpful for the problem above.
Video duration:
7m
Was this helpful?

Key Concepts

Here are the essential concepts you must grasp in order to answer the question correctly.

Half-life

Half-life is the time required for the concentration of a reactant to decrease to half of its initial value. In chemical kinetics, it is a crucial concept for understanding the rate of a reaction and is particularly useful for first-order reactions, where the half-life remains constant regardless of the initial concentration.
Recommended video:
Guided course
02:17
Zero-Order Half-life

Reaction Rate

The reaction rate is a measure of how quickly reactants are converted into products in a chemical reaction. It can be expressed in terms of the change in concentration of a reactant or product over time. Understanding the reaction rate is essential for calculating half-lives and predicting how long a reaction will take to reach a certain point.
Recommended video:
Guided course
02:03
Average Rate of Reaction

Integrated Rate Laws

Integrated rate laws relate the concentration of reactants or products to time, allowing for the calculation of concentrations at any given time. For first-order reactions, the integrated rate law can be used to determine the half-life and is expressed as ln([A]0/[A]) = kt, where [A]0 is the initial concentration, [A] is the concentration at time t, and k is the rate constant.
Recommended video:
Guided course
01:52
Rate Law Fundamentals