I keep getting “Half-life” questions wrong in Chemical Kinetics. What's the trap?
assuming half-life is constant for every order.
The usual trap: assuming half-life is constant for every order. How to avoid it: constant half-life is a signature of first-order kinetics. Go back to the definition — the time for a reactant to fall to half its amount; for first-order reactions it's constant.
Key point
Half-life
Common mistake
assuming half-life is constant for every order.
Memory tip
constant half-life is a signature of first-order kinetics.
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