The reaction rate or rate of reaction for a reactant or product in a particular reaction is intuitively defined as how fast a reaction takes place. For example, the oxidation of iron under the atmosphere is a slow reaction which can take years, but the combustion of butane in a fire is a reaction that takes place in fractions of a second.
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Compare with zero order reaction and second order reaction .The sum of concentration exponents in the rate law for a first order reaction is one. Many radioactive decays are first order reactions.