The OH Radical Disproportionates According to the Elementary Chemical Reaction

question 22

Multiple Choice

The OH radical disproportionates according to the elementary chemical reaction OH + OH → H₂O + O. This reaction is second order in OH. The rate constant for the reaction is 2.1 × 10^-12 cm³/molecule • s at room temperature. If the initial OH concentration is 1.6 × 10¹³ molecules/cm³, what is the first half-life for the reaction?

• A) 3.3 × 10¹¹ s
• B) 0.030 s
• C) 3.8 × 10²⁴ s
• D) 3.9 s
• E) 6.0 s

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