Skip to main content
Chemistry LibreTexts

1.1 Reversible Reactions

  • Page ID
    32230
  • \( \newcommand{\vecs}[1]{\overset { \scriptstyle \rightharpoonup} {\mathbf{#1}} } \) \( \newcommand{\vecd}[1]{\overset{-\!-\!\rightharpoonup}{\vphantom{a}\smash {#1}}} \)\(\newcommand{\id}{\mathrm{id}}\) \( \newcommand{\Span}{\mathrm{span}}\) \( \newcommand{\kernel}{\mathrm{null}\,}\) \( \newcommand{\range}{\mathrm{range}\,}\) \( \newcommand{\RealPart}{\mathrm{Re}}\) \( \newcommand{\ImaginaryPart}{\mathrm{Im}}\) \( \newcommand{\Argument}{\mathrm{Arg}}\) \( \newcommand{\norm}[1]{\| #1 \|}\) \( \newcommand{\inner}[2]{\langle #1, #2 \rangle}\) \( \newcommand{\Span}{\mathrm{span}}\) \(\newcommand{\id}{\mathrm{id}}\) \( \newcommand{\Span}{\mathrm{span}}\) \( \newcommand{\kernel}{\mathrm{null}\,}\) \( \newcommand{\range}{\mathrm{range}\,}\) \( \newcommand{\RealPart}{\mathrm{Re}}\) \( \newcommand{\ImaginaryPart}{\mathrm{Im}}\) \( \newcommand{\Argument}{\mathrm{Arg}}\) \( \newcommand{\norm}[1]{\| #1 \|}\) \( \newcommand{\inner}[2]{\langle #1, #2 \rangle}\) \( \newcommand{\Span}{\mathrm{span}}\)\(\newcommand{\AA}{\unicode[.8,0]{x212B}}\)

    Typically when we think of what happens during a chemical reaction we think of the reactants getting totally used up so that none are left and ending up with only products. Also, we generally consider chemical reactions as one-way events. You may well have learned during earlier science classes that this is one way to distinguish chemical change from physical changes - physical changes (such as the melting and freezing of ice) are easily reversed, but chemical changes cannot be reversed (pretty tough to un-fry an egg).

    In this unit we will see that this isn't always the case. We will see that many chemical reactions are, in fact, reversible under the right conditions. And because many reactions can be reversed, our idea of a reaction ending with no reactants left, only products, will need to be modified.

    Here are some examples of reactions that can be reversed:

    1.

    Nitrogen dioxide, \(\ce{NO_2}\) , a reddish-brown gas, reacts to form colourless dinitrogen tetroxide, \(\ce{N_2O_4}\) :

    \(\ce{2NO_2(g) \rightarrow N_2O_4(g)}\)

    But the reaction can also go the other way - dinitrogen tetroxide also readily breaks down to form nitrogen dioxide:

    \(\ce{N_2O_4(g) \rightarrow 2NO_2(g)}\)

    We typically write a reaction that can go in both directions by using a double arrow (which will sometimes appear as ↔ in these online notes):

    \(\ce{2NO_2(g) \leftrightarrow N_2O_4(g)}\)

    Because the reaction continues in both directions at the same time, we never run out of either \(\ce{NO_2}\) or \(\ce{N_2O_4}\) . \(\ce{NO_2}\) is continually being used up to form \(\ce{N_2O_4}\) , but at the same time \(\ce{N_2O_4}\) is forming more \(\ce{NO_2}\)

    2.

    When hydrogen gas is passed over heated iron oxide, iron and steam are produced:

    (1)
    \(\ce{Fe_3O_4(s) + 4H_2 (g) \rightarrow 3Fe(s) + 4H_2O(g)}\)
    The reverse reaction can occur when steam is passed over red-hot iron:
    (2)
    \(\ce{3Fe(s) + 4H_2O(g) \rightarrow Fe_3O_4(s) + 4H_2(g)}\)
    We can write these two equations together as:
    (3)
    \(\ce{Fe_3O_4(s) + 4H_2(g) \leftrightarrow 3Fe(s) + 4H_2O(g)}\)

    When we have a reversible reaction written in this way, we need to be able to distinguish between which way the reaction is headed. As written above in Reaction (3), we would say that in the forward reaction iron oxide and hydrogen gas, the reactants, produce the products iron and steam.

    During the reverse reaction, iron reacts with steam to produce the products iron oxide and hydrogen gas.

    It is important to understand the terminology, and to use the terms correctly.

    Does it matter which way we write our reversible reaction? Could we write it as

    \(\ce{3Fe(s) + 4H_2O(g) \leftrightarrow Fe_3O_4(s) + 4H_2(g)}\)

    Yes, we could. Now iron and steam are reactants of the forward direction, and iron oxide and hydrogen gas would be the reactants of the reverse direction.


    1.1 Reversible Reactions is shared under a CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 license and was authored, remixed, and/or curated by LibreTexts.

    • Was this article helpful?