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5.S: Fundamental Equilibrium Concepts (Study Guide)

  • Page ID
    393561
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    chemical equilibrium – condition where the concentration of products and reactants do not change with time

    5.2: Chemical Equilibria

    • Chemical equilibrium happens when the rates of forward and reverse reactions are equal, so the concentrations of products and reactants are constant
    • Equilibrium is a dynamic process:

      the concentrations of reactants and products no longer change with time

      reactions do not stop

    5.3 The Equilibrium Constant

    • Relationship between concentrations of reactants and products at equilibrium

    If \(aA + bB\rightleftharpoons cC+dD\)

    then an equilibrium expression can be constructed

    \[\displaystyle K_c=\frac{[C]^c[D]^d}{[A]^a[B]^b} \nonumber \]

    • equilibrium expression depends only on stoichiometry of reaction and not mechanisms
    • equilibrium constant:
    • does not depend on initial concentrations
    • does not matter if other substances present as long as they do not react with reactants or products
    • varies with temperatures
    • no units
    • Can also be expressed in terms of pressure, \(K_p\)

    \[\displaystyle K_p=\frac{(P_P)^p(P_Q)^q}{(P_A)^a(P_B)^b} \nonumber \]

    • Magnitude of Equilibrium Constants
      • \(K\gg 1\); equilibrium lies to the right; products favored
      • \(K \ll 1\); equilibrium lies to the left; reactants favored
    • equilibrium expression written in one direction is the reciprocal of the one in the other direction
    • homogeneous equilibria – substances in the same phase
    • heterogeneous equilibria – substances in different phases
    • a pure solid, a pure liquid, and a solvent in dilute solutions all appear in equilibrium laws, but they are all assigned activities that are equal to 1
    • by convention the actvities of the pure solid, pure liquid, or solute are not explicitly written as part of the equilibrium law
    • Predicting the Direction of Reaction
      • determine reaction quotient Q
      • at equilibrium Q=K
      • Q>K; reaction moves right to left
      • Q<K; reaction moves left to right

    5.4 Calculating Equilibrium Constants

    determining unknown equilibrium concentrations

    • tabulate known initial and equilibrium concentrations
    • calculate change in concentration that occurs as system reaches equilibrium
    • use stoichiometry to determine change in concentration of unknown species
    • from initial concentrations and changes in concentrations, calculate equilibrium concentrations
    • Relating Kc and Kp

    \[PV = nRT \nonumber \]

    \[P = (n/V)RT = MRT \nonumber \]

    \[PA = [A](RT) \nonumber \]

    \[K_p=K_c(RT)D^n \nonumber \]

    • D n = change in moles from reactants to products

    If system at equilibrium is disturbed by change in temperature, pressure or concentration then system will shift equilibrium position

    5.5 Shifting Equilibria - Le Chatelier's Principle

    • Change in Reactant or Product Concentration
      • addition of substance will result in consummation of part of added substance
      • if substance removed, reaction will move to produce more of the substance
    • Effects of Volume and Pressure Changes
      • reducing volume, reaction shifts to reduce number of gas molecules
      • increase volume, reaction shifts to produce more gas molecules
      • increase pressure, decrease volume reduces total number of moles
      • pressure volume changes do not affect K as long as temperature is constant
      • changes concentrations of gaseous substances
    • Effect on Temperature Change
      • endothermic: reactants + heat « products
      • exothermic: reactants « products + heat
      • increase temperature, equilibrium shifts in direction that absorbs heat
      • endothermic: increase T, increase K
      • exothermic: increase T, decrease K
      • cooling shifts equilibrium to produce heat
    • The Effect of Catalysts
      • catalysts increase rate at which equilibrium is obtained
      • does not change composition of equilibrium mixture

    5.S: Fundamental Equilibrium Concepts (Study Guide) is shared under a CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 license and was authored, remixed, and/or curated by LibreTexts.