What defines a process following first-order kinetics in degradation?
The degradation rate is directly proportional to the amount of original substance remaining.
Kinetic modeling classifies degradation processes based on how the concentration of reactants affects the reaction rate. When a degradation pathway adheres to first-order kinetics, the mathematical relationship established shows a direct proportionality between the rate at which the substance degrades and the quantity of that original substance currently present in the product. In practical terms, if half of the substance remains, the rate of degradation is half of what it was initially. This contrasts with zero-order kinetics, where the rate is independent of concentration, and second-order kinetics, where the rate depends on the concentration of two reactant molecules or the square of one reactant molecule's concentration.
