Step 1: Concentration and rate (collision view).
Reactions happen when molecules collide with enough energy. A higher reactant concentration packs more molecules into the same volume, so collisions become more frequent and the rate goes up. This is why the rate is fastest at the start (high concentration) and slows as reactants are consumed.
Step 2: Temperature and rate (energy view).
Raising the temperature shifts the Maxwell distribution so that many more molecules cross the activation-energy barrier. Because of this, only a small temperature rise produces a large rate increase (about a two- to three-fold jump per 10 K). The Arrhenius relation \(k = A e^{-E_a/RT}\) shows \(k\), and hence the rate, climbing steeply with \(T\).
Step 3: Set up the half-life.
For first order kinetics the fraction reacted in one half-life is fixed, giving \(t_{1/2} = 0.693 / k\), independent of starting amount.
Step 4: Plug in the data.
\(t_{1/2} = 0.693 / (5.5 \times 10^{-14})\).
Dividing, \(0.693 / 5.5 = 0.126\), and \(10^{0}/10^{-14} = 10^{14}\), so \(t_{1/2} = 0.126 \times 10^{14}\) s.
\(\boxed{t_{1/2} = 1.26 \times 10^{13}\ s}\)