Question

If the half life of a reaction is independent of concentration, the reaction can be:

1) First order
2) Second order
3) Zero order
4) Cannot be determined

Answer 1

The half-life of a reaction that is independent of the concentration of reactants indicates a first-order reaction, as first-order reactions have a constant half-life regardless of reactant concentration.

Step-by-step explanation:

If the half-life of a reaction is independent of concentration, the reaction can be classified as first order. This is because the half-life of a first-order reaction is a constant and does not depend on the concentration of the reactants. For a first-order reaction, the concentration of the reactant decreases by a constant percentage with each half-life, and this is independent of the initial concentration of the reactant.

In contrast, for a zero-order reaction, the half-life increases as the initial concentration increases. Similarly, the half-life of a second-order reaction is inversely proportional to the reactant concentration, meaning the half-life will increase as the concentration of the reactant decreases, which is opposite to the behavior of a first-order reaction.