Time required to decompose $SO_{2}Cl_{2}$ to half of its initial amount is $60 \ minutes$. If the decomposition is a first order reaction,calculate the rate constant of the reaction.

(N/A) For a $1^{st}$ order reaction,the half-life is given by the formula:
$t_{1/2} = \frac{0.693}{k}$
Given that $t_{1/2} = 60 \ min$,we can rearrange the formula to solve for the rate constant $k$:
$k = \frac{0.693}{t_{1/2}}$
Substituting the given value:
$k = \frac{0.693}{60} \ min^{-1}$
$k = 0.01155 \ min^{-1}$
Expressing in scientific notation:
$k = 1.155 \times 10^{-2} \ min^{-1}$