Try it on paper first. A hint, the key idea and the worked solution are here when you need them.
The liver breaks down ethanol with an enzyme. When the ethanol level in the blood is above about , the enzyme is working flat out, and the level falls by about . A level of is measured at 10 pm. What is the level later? How long does it take for the level to reach ? Explain why the line cannot stay straight to zero.
For a zero order reaction, . The half-life is , and the reaction ends at . The unit of is the unit of the rate, .
Have you tried it?
Work it out on paper first. It is fine to get stuck or make a mistake: that is how we learn. When you are ready, go through the solution one step at a time, and check each step against your own.
Given. The level falls by a fixed amount each hour, so this is a zero order process, with .
Step 1. After 4 h. , because .
Step 2. To . The level must fall by . The time is .
Step 3. Why not straight to zero. The enzyme works flat out only while there is enough ethanol to keep every enzyme molecule busy. Below about some enzyme molecules wait for ethanol, so the rate falls with the level and the order changes.
Answer: after , and to reach . The straight line holds only while the enzyme is saturated.
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