Q.The half life period for first order reaction is ________ of its initial concentration.
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Half Life of a Reaction
Imagine you have a pile of 1000 coins, and every minute, exactly half of the coins that are still there vanish. After one minute, 500 coins remain. After another minute, 250 remain. Then 125, then about 62, and so on. The time it takes for the pile to shrink from 1000 to 500 is the same as the time it takes to shrink from 500 to 250, or from 250 to 125. That constant time interval is the half life.
In chemistry, a reaction's half life (t1/2) is the time required for the concentration of a reactant to fall to exactly one-half of its initial value. It is a simple, intuitive way to describe how fast a reaction proceeds — the shorter the half life, the faster the reaction.
The Precise Definition
For any reaction, if you start with an initial concentration [A]0, the half life t1/2 is the time at which:
[A]=21[A]0
That is all. But here is the crucial point: the half life is not a universal constant — it depends on the order of the reaction. For different reaction orders, the half life behaves very differently.
Half Life for a First Order Reaction
For a first order reaction, the rate law is:
Rate=k[A]
The integrated rate equation is:
[A]=[A]0e−kt
Set [A]=21[A]0 and solve for t:
21[A]0=[A]0e−kt1/2
Cancel [A]0:
21=e−kt1/2
Take natural logarithms:
ln(21)=−kt1/2
−ln2=−kt1/2
t1/2=kln2=k0.693
t1/2=k0.693
This is the key result: for a first order reaction, the half life is independent of the initial concentration. Whether you start with 1 M or 0.001 M, the time to halve the concentration is exactly the same. This is a unique property of first order reactions — no other order behaves this way.
Why Does This Matter?
The constancy of t1/2 for first order reactions is what makes radioactive decay predictable. Carbon-14 dating works because the half life of 14C is always 5730 years, regardless of how much carbon is present. The same principle applies to many chemical reactions, especially decompositions and isomerisations.
For a first order reaction, if you know the half life, you can find the rate constant instantly: k=0.693/t1/2. This is often the fastest way to get k from experimental data.
Contrast with Other Orders
For a zero order reaction, the half life depends on the initial concentration:
t1/2=2k[A]0 …
The first-order half-life expression, 0.693 divided by the rate constant, contains no concentration term at all. This is why the half-life stays the same no matter how much reactant …
For a first order reaction, t1/2=0.693/k, which contains no concentration term, so the half-life is independent of the initial concentration.
For a first order reaction, integrating the rate law gives k=t2.303log[A][A]0. Setting [A]=[A]0/2 at t=t1/2 gives t1/2=k0.693. Since this expression depends only on the rate constant k (which is fixed at a given temperature) and not on [A]0, the half-life of a first order reaction is the same regardless of how much r …
Showing the 12 most recent of 18 on this concept.
- CBSE 2026Set ANNUAL1 markQ.Calculate the half-life period of a first order reaction whose rate constant is 200 s^-1.
›Reveal solutionSolution
For a first-order reaction, the half-life is a constant, related to the rate constant by t(1/2) = 0.693/k, independent of the starting concentration.
For a first-order reaction, the half-life formula is derived from the integrated rate law ln([R]0/[R]) = kt, setting [R] = [R]0/2:
t(1/2) = ln(2)/k = 0.693/k
…
- CBSE 2026Set ANNUAL1 markMCQQ.The half life period for first order reaction is ________ of its initial concentration.(a) Dependent(b) Independent(c) Property(d) None of these
›Reveal solutionSolution
For a first order reaction, t1/2=0.693/k, which contains no concentration term, so the half-life is independent of the initial concentration.
For a first order reaction, integrating the rate law gives k=t2.303log[A][A]0. Setting [A]=[A]0/2 at t=t1/2 gives t1/2=k0.693. Since this expression depends only on the rate constant k (which is fixed at a given temperature) and not on [A]0, the half-life of a first order reaction is the same regardless of how much r …
- CBSE 2026Set ANNUAL1 markMCQQ.The half life period of a radioactive element is 140 days. After 560 days 1 g of element will be reduced to :(a) (81)g(b) (21)g(c) (161)g(d) (41)g
›Reveal solutionSolution
Radioactive decay is a first-order process, so the amount remaining after any whole number of half-lives is simply the initial amount halved that many times; 560 days is exactly 4 half-lives of this 140-day element.
Step 1 — number of half-lives elapsed: n=t1/2total time=140 days560 days=4
…
- CBSE 2026Set ANNUAL1 markMCQQ.The half-life of a first-order reaction depends on :(a) Initial concentration(b) Temperature only(c) Rate constant(d) Both(a) and (c)
›Reveal solutionSolution
First-order half-life t(1/2) = 0.693/k depends only on k, not on initial concentration. Answer: (c) Rate constant.
For a first-order reaction k = (2.303/t) log([A]0/[A]). Setting [A] = [A]0/2 gives t(1/2) = 0.693/k.
- This expression contains only k, so the half-life is independent of the initial concentration. …
- CBSE 2026Set ANNUAL1 markMCQQ.A reaction is found to be 50% complete in 20 minutes and 75% complete in 30 minutes. The order of the reaction is –(a) 0(b) 0.5(c) 1(d) 2
›Reveal solutionSolution
Checking the data against the rate laws: 50% in 20 min and 75% in 30 min are consistent with a constant zero-order rate constant, so the order is 0.
We test which order fits both data points.
Zero order: [A]0−[A]=kt, i.e. amount reacted ∝t.
- 50% reacted in 20 min: k(20)=0.50[A]0⇒k=0.025[A]0 min−1.
- 75% reacted in 30 min: k(30)=0.75[A]0⇒k=0.025[A]0 min−1. …
- CBSE 2025Set ANNUAL1 markQ.A first-order reaction is found to have a rate constant, k=5.5×10−14 s−1. Find the half-life of the reaction.
›Reveal solutionSolution
The half-life of a first-order reaction is obtained directly from t1/2=0.693/k.
Calculation
For a first-order reaction, the half-life is independent of initial concentration and given by:
t1/2=k0.693
Substituting k=5.5×10−14 s−1:
t1/2=5.5×10−140.693=0.126×1014 s=1.26×1013 s
…
- CBSE 2025Set ANNUAL1 markMCQQ.The half life of a first order reaction is 69.3 s. Its rate constant is –(i) 10⁻² s⁻¹(ii) 10⁻⁴ s⁻¹(iii) 10 s⁻¹(iv) 10² s⁻¹
›Reveal solutionSolution
For a first order reaction, k=t1/20.693; substituting t1/2=69.3 s gives k=10−2s−1.
For a first order reaction, the half-life is related to the rate constant by:
t1/2=k0.693
Rearranging for k: …
- CBSE 2024Set B1 markMCQQ.A first order reaction completes 75% in 16 minutes. How much time will it take to complete 50%?(a) 8 minutes(b) 32 minutes(c) 24 minutes(d) 4 minutes
›Reveal solutionSolution
For a first-order reaction, 75% completion corresponds to exactly two half-lives, so the time for 50% completion is half of 16 minutes = 8 minutes.
For a first-order reaction, the integrated rate law is:
k=t2.303log[A][A]0
When 75% reacts, 25% of the reactant is left, so [A]0/[A]=100/25=4:
k=162.303log4=162.303(2log2)
When 50% reacts, [A]0/[A]=2, and the time taken is t50%:
k=t50%2.303log2
Since k is the same for both:
…
- CBSE 2024Set ANNUAL1 markMCQQ.Value of t1/2 for first order reaction is given as(a) t1/2 = [R0] / 2k(b) t1/2 = 0.693 / k(c) t1/2 = 6.023 / k(d) t1/2 = -k / 0.693
›Reveal solutionSolution
The half-life of a first order reaction is derived from its integrated rate law and comes out to 0.693/k, independent of initial concentration.
Integrated first order rate law: k = (1/t) ln([R0]/[R])
At t = t1/2, [R] = [R0]/2:
k = (1/t1/2) ln([R0]/([R0]/2)) = (1/t1/2) ln 2
…
- CBSE 2023Set BZ1 markMCQQ.Velocity constant for a first order reaction is 2.0×10−3 s−1. The half-life period for this reaction is:(a) 3.465×103 s(b) 3.465×102 s(c) 3.465×10−1 s(d) 3.465×10−2 s
›Reveal solutionSolution
For a first-order reaction t1/2=k0.693=3.465×102 s.
Concept: The half-life of a first-order reaction is independent of the initial concentration and equals t1/2=k0.693.
Calculation: …
- CBSE 2023Set F1 markMCQQ.The half life of a first order reaction(a) does not depend upon rate constant(b) does not depend upon initial concentration(c) depends upon initial concentration(d) all of these
›Reveal solutionSolution
For a first-order reaction, t1/2 = 0.693/k, so it is independent of initial concentration — option (B).
For a first-order reaction the half-life is:
t1/2 = 0.693 / k
This expression contains only the rate constant k, so the half-life depends on k (hence indirectly on temperature) but is completely INDEPENDENT of the initial concentration of the reactant. Whatever the starting amount, the time to fall to half is the same. Option (a) is wrong because t1/2 does depe …
- CBSE 2023Set ANNUAL1 markQ.Cyclopropane undergoes isomerization at 1000°C to propylene following first order kinetics with a rate constant 9.9 s−1. How long would it take for the concentration of cyclopropane to decrease to 50% of its initial value ?
›Reveal solutionSolution
For a first-order reaction, t1/2=0.693/k; with k=9.9 s−1, this gives about 0.07 seconds.
For a first-order reaction, the half-life is independent of the initial concentration and given by:
t1/2=k0.693
Substituting k=9.9 s−1: …
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