Which of the following statement is correct about the half-life period?
- It is proportional to initial concentration of zero order reaction
- Half-life period can be used to determine the order of the reaction
- Half-life period for 1st order reaction is independent of concentration
- Catalyst does not affect half-life time period
Choose the correct answer from the options given below:
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 3
The correct answer is option 3. A, B and C only.
Half-life period is the time required for the concentration of a reactant to decrease to half of its initial value. It is a characteristic property of a reaction and does not depend on the initial concentration of the reactants (for first order reactions).
A. Half-life period is proportional to initial concentration of zero order reaction.
This is correct. For a zero order reaction, the half-life period is given by the following equation:
\(t_{1/2} = \frac{[R]_0}{2k}\)
where \([R]_0\) is the initial concentration of the reactant and k is the rate constant.
B. Half-life period can be used to determine the order of the reaction.
This is also correct. The half-life period of a first order reaction is independent of the initial concentration of the reactants, while the half-life period of a zero order reaction is proportional to the initial concentration of the reactants. Therefore, the order of a reaction can be determined by measuring the half-life period at different initial concentrations of the reactants.
C. Half-life period for 1st order reaction is independent of concentration.
This is also correct. The half-life period of a first order reaction is given by the following equation:
\(t_{1/2} = \frac{0.693}{k}\)
where k is the rate constant. As you can see, the initial concentration of the reactants does not appear in this equation.
D. Catalyst does not affect half-life time period.
This is incorrect. A catalyst increases the rate of a reaction without being consumed itself. Therefore, a catalyst will decrease the half-life period of a reaction.