Solve in the way that I can explain it to my lecturer

Chemistry

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Answer

0.1416\text{0.1416}

Step-by-step solution

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To explain this solution to your lecturer, you would emphasize the fundamental principles of chemical kinetics for first-order reactions.

The problem asks us to determine the fraction of diethyl ether remaining after a specific time, given its half-life for a first-order decomposition reaction.

  1. Determine the rate constant (kk) for the first-order reaction.

    For a first-order reaction, the rate of reaction is directly proportional to the concentration of a single reactant. A key characteristic of a first-order reaction is its half-life (t1/2t_{1/2}), which is the time required for the concentration of the reactant to decrease to half of its initial value. For a first-order reaction, the half-life is constant and is related to the rate constant (kk) by the following equation:

    t1/2=ln⁡(2)kt_{1/2} = \frac{\ln(2)}{k}

    Here, ln⁡(2)\ln(2) is the natural logarithm of 2, which is a constant approximately equal to 0.6931.
    We are given the half-life t1/2=1670 st_{1/2} = 1670 \text{ s}. To determine the rate constant kk, we rearrange the formula:

    k=ln⁡(2)t1/2k = \frac{\ln(2)}{t_{1/2}}

    Substitute the given value for t1/2t_{1/2}:

    k=0.69311670 sk = \frac{0.6931}{1670 \text{ s}} k≈0.0004150 s−1k \approx 0.0004150 \text{ s}^{-1}

    This calculated rate constant kk quantifies the intrinsic speed of the decomposition reaction.

  2. Calculate the fraction of diethyl ether remaining after 4710 s4710 \text{ s}.

    To determine the amount of reactant remaining after a specific time tt, we utilize the integrated rate law for a first-order reaction. This equation relates the concentration of the reactant at time tt ([A]t[A]_t) to its initial concentration ([A]0[A]_0), the rate constant (kk), and the elapsed time (tt):

    ln⁡([A]t[A]0)=−kt\ln\left(\frac{[A]_t}{[A]_0}\right) = -kt

    The ratio [A]t[A]0\frac{[A]_t}{[A]_0} represents the fraction of the reactant remaining at time tt. To solve for this fraction, we need to eliminate the natural logarithm (ln⁡\ln). This is achieved by taking the exponential (base ee) of both sides of the equation:

    eln⁡([A]t[A]0)=e−kte^{\ln\left(\frac{[A]_t}{[A]_0}\right)} = e^{-kt}

    This simplifies to:

    [A]t[A]0=e−kt\frac{[A]_t}{[A]_0} = e^{-kt}

    Now, we substitute the calculated rate constant k=0.0004150 s−1k = 0.0004150 \text{ s}^{-1} and the given time t=4710 st = 4710 \text{ s}:

    [A]t[A]0=e−(0.0004150 s−1×4710 s)\frac{[A]_t}{[A]_0} = e^{-(0.0004150 \text{ s}^{-1} \times 4710 \text{ s})}

    First, we compute the product in the exponent:

    0.0004150×4710=1.95450.0004150 \times 4710 = 1.9545

    Thus, the equation becomes:

    [A]t[A]0=e−1.9545\frac{[A]_t}{[A]_0} = e^{-1.9545}

    Finally, we evaluate the exponential term:

    [A]t[A]0≈0.1416\frac{[A]_t}{[A]_0} \approx 0.1416

    This result indicates that after 4710 s4710 \text{ s}, approximately 0.1416 (or 14.16%14.16\%) of the initial diethyl ether remains.

    Note: The value 0.750 was not used in these calculations. The constant derived from the half-life formula for a first-order reaction is ln⁡(2)≈0.6931\ln(2) \approx 0.6931.

    The fraction of diethyl ether remaining after 4710 s4710 \text{ s} is approximately 0.1416\boxed{\text{0.1416}}.

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