First-Order Reaction

Introduction

A first-order reaction is one in which the rate of reaction is proportional to the

concentration of the reactant. To put it another way, doubling the concentration
doubles the reaction rate. A first-order reaction can have one or two reactants, as in
the case of the decomposition reaction.
A first-order reaction can be defined as a chemical reaction in which the reaction rate
is linearly dependent on the concentration of only one reactant. In other words, a first-
order reaction is a chemical reaction in which the rate varies based on the changes in
the concentration of only one of the reactants. Thus, the order of these reactions is
equal to 1.

The Differential and Integrated Law of First-Order Reactions

The differential rate law for a first-order reaction can be expressed as follows:
Rate = -d[A]/dt = k[A]
The integrated rate equation for a first-order reaction is:
[A] = [A]0e-kt
Where,
[A] is the current concentration of the first-order reactant
[A]0 is the initial concentration of the first-order reactant
t is the time elapsed since the reaction began
k is the rate constant of the first-order reaction
e is Euler’s number (which is the base of the natural logarithm)

Examples of First-Order Reactions

1. Trimethyl bromomethane ((CH3)3CBr) reacts with sodium hydroxide (NaOH) to

give trimethyl methanol ((CH3)3COH) and sodium bromide (NaBr) [8].
(CH3)3CBr + NaOH → (CH3)3COH + NaBr
2. Decomposition of hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) into water (H2O) and oxygen (O2)
2 H2O2 (l) → H2O (l) + O2 (g)
3. Hydrolysis of methyl acetate (CH3COOCH3) in the presence of mineral acids
CH3COOCH3 (aq.) + H2O (l) → CH3COOH (aq. + CH3OH (aq.)
4. Decomposition of ammonium nitrite (NH4NO2) in aqueous solution
NH4NO2 (aq.) → N2 (g) + 2 H2O (l)
5. Hydrogenation of ethene (C2H4)
C2H4 (g) + H2 (g) → C2H6 (g)