The half-life of a first order reaction is determined to be 74.5 years. How long will it take for the concentration of the reactant to reach 2% of its initial value?

420 years

74.5years X (multiply) with 5.64386

To determine how long it will take for the concentration of the reactant to reach 2% of its initial value, we can use the mathematical equation for a first-order reaction:

ln(C/C₀) = -kt

Where:
C is the concentration at a given time,
C₀ is the initial concentration,
k is the rate constant, and
t is the time.

We know that the half-life of the reaction is 74.5 years. The half-life duration represents the time it takes for the concentration to decrease by half, which can be expressed mathematically as:

0.5 = e^(-k * 74.5)

To solve for k, we need to isolate it. Taking the natural logarithm (ln) of both sides gives us:

ln(0.5) = -k * 74.5

Now, we can calculate the value of k by substituting the natural logarithm of 0.5:

k = ln(0.5) / -74.5

Next, we can determine how long it will take for the concentration to reach 2% of its initial value. Considering that 2% is equivalent to 0.02 times the initial concentration, we need to solve for t when C/C₀ equals 0.02:

ln(0.02) = -k * t

Substituting the value of k we obtained earlier:

ln(0.02) = (ln(0.5) / -74.5) * t

Now, we can solve for t by isolating it:

t = ln(0.02) / (ln(0.5) / -74.5)

Evaluating this expression will provide the time it takes for the concentration to reach 2% of its initial value.