Kinetic Order of Degradation Reactions
Kinetic Order of Degradation Reactions
Many chemical and biochemical degradation reactions follow fixed-order kinetics, including orders zero, one, or , where need not be an integer. With the exception of first-order kinetics, which is characterized by exponential decay, the diminishing concentration versus time relationship can be described by a single formula over a range that is determined by the reactant's initial concentration, , the reaction’s (temperature-dependent) rate constant, , and the kinetic order, . This Demonstration identifies the formula’s applicability range and lets you simulate and monitor the progress of degradation reactions following any kinetic order in the range 0–2.5, with different rate constants, , and starting at different initial concentrations.
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