If the concentration is expressed moles/litre, the unit of rate constant for a first-order reaction is (a) mole litre \(^{-1} \mathrm{~s}^{-1}\) (b) mole litre \(^{-1}\) (c) \(s^{-1}\) (d) \(\mathrm{mole}^{-1}\)

Short Answer

Expert verified
The unit of rate constant for a first-order reaction when the concentration is expressed in moles/litre is \(s^{-1}\), which corresponds to option (c).

Step by step solution

01

Understand the units of rate of reaction

The rate of a reaction is usually measured in terms of how fast the concentration of reactants decreases or the concentration of products increases. If the concentration is expressed in moles/litre and time is in seconds, then the units of rate of reaction is moles litre \(^{-1} \mathrm{~s}^{-1}\).
02

Apply the concept of order of reaction

In a first-order reaction, the rate of reaction is directly proportional to the concentration of a single reactant. The rate constant (k) is the proportionality constant. It's expressed mathematically as: rate = k [A], where [A] is the concentration of the reactant A. Rearranging the above equation to calculate the units of k gives: k = rate/[A].
03

Determine the unit of rate constant for a first-order reaction

Substitute the units for the rate of reaction and the concentration of the reactant into the equation for k: k = (moles litre \(^{-1} \mathrm{~s}^{-1}\))/(moles litre \(^{-1}\)). The mole litre \(^{-1}\) on both the numerator and the denominator cancels out, giving the unit for the rate constant of a first order reaction as \(s^{-1}\).

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