1.6 Equilibria

Question 1

What are the four industrial processes with equilibrium?

Answer 1

Haber process.
Contact process.
Production of methanol from CO.
Hydration of ethene to produce ethanol.

Question 2

What is the equation for the haber process and what are the conditions? Is it exothermic or endothermic?

Answer 2

N2 + 3H2 2NH3

T= 450*C, P= 200 – 1000 atm, catalyst = iron

Exothermic.

Question 3

What is the equation for the contact process and what are the conditions? What is the enthalpy change?

Answer 3

Stage 1 : S(s) + O2(g) —> SO2(g)
Stage 2 : SO2(g) + 1/2O2 (g) SO3(g)

T= 450*C, P= 1 or 2 atm, catalyst = V2O5

Exothermic -98kjmol

Question 4

What is the equation for the production of methanol from CO and what are the conditions? What is the enthalpy change?

Answer 4

CO(g) + 2H2(g) CH3OH(g)

T= 400*C, P= 50 atm, catalyst = chromium and zinc oxides

Exothermic.

Question 5

What is the equation for the hydration of ethene to produce ethanol and what are the conditions? What is the enthalpy change?

Answer 5

CH2CH2(g) + H2O(g) CH3CH2OH(l)

T= 300*C, P= 70 atm, catalyst = conc H3PO4

Exothermic.

Question 6

What does a large value of Kc mean?

Answer 6

Greater amount of products.

Question 7

What does a small Kc value mean?

Answer 7

Equilibrium favours reactants.

Question 8

What affects the value of Kc?

Answer 8

ONLY temperature.

Question 9

Would increasing volume change the rate of reaction eg doubling the volume?

Answer 9

Not always, sometimes the volumes cancel out and thus rate doesn’t change.