Question

The isomerization of methylisonitrile to acetonitrile is first order in CH3NC. CH3NC(g) → CH3CN(g) The half life of the reaction is 1.60 × 105 s at 444 K. What is the rate constant when the initial [CH3NC] is 0.030 M?

Answer 1

Answer: The rate constant for the given reaction is $4.33\times 10^{-6}s^{-1}$

Explanation:

For the given chemical equation:

$CH_3NC(g)\rightarrow CH_3CN(g)$

We are given that the above equation is undergoing first order kinetics.

The equation used to calculate rate constant from given half life for first order kinetics:

$t_{1/2}=\frac{0.693}{k}$

The rate constant is independent of  the initial concentration for first order kinetics.

We are given:

$t_{1/2}$ = half life of the reaction = $1.60\times 10^5s$

Putting values in above equation, we get:

$k=\frac{0.693}{1.60\times 10^5s}=4.33\times 10^{-6}s^{-1}$

Hence, the rate constant for the given reaction is $4.33\times 10^{-6}s^{-1}$