Written by the Fiveable Content Team • Last updated September 2025
Verified for the 2026 exam
Verified for the 2026 exam•Written by the Fiveable Content Team • Last updated September 2025
Definition
The half-life in first-order reactions refers to how long it takes for half of a given amount of substance undergoing a first-order decay process to disappear due to that process.
A decrease in quantity following an exponential function, often used when describing radioactive decay or population decline.
Rate Constant (k): In chemistry, this term refers to how quickly or slowly reactions occur. For first order reactions, it's also related directly with their half-life.
Zero Order Reaction: A type of chemical reaction that proceeds at a constant rate independent from any changes in concentrations once initiated.
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