Equilibrium Flashcards
How do you establish an Equilibrium
Obtained in a closed system where the reaction is carried out in a sealed container and NONE of the reactants or products are lost
When does a reaction reach equilibrium
When the rate of the forward reaction is equal to the rate of the reverse reaction
What happens to the concentration of reactants and products when a reaction is in equilibrium
They remain constant but not necessarily equal
What does a catalyst do to equilibrium
Catalysts increase the rate at which an equilibrium is formed but do not affect the equilibrium position
What does Le Chatelier’s principle state
An equilibrium will move to undo any changes imposed upon it by temporarily favouring either the forward or backward reaction until a new equilibrium position is reached
What effect does decreasing temperature have on equilibrium
If the temp decreases the equilibrium will move to increase the temp and does this by favouring the exothermic reaction (releases heat energy)
What effect does increasing temperature have on equilibrium
By increasing the temp, equilibrium will move to decrease the temperature again. It does this by favouring the endothermic reaction
What effect does decreasing concentration have on equilibrium
Decreasing concentration of products move the equilibrium to the right increasing rate of forward. Decreasing conc of reactants moves equilibrium to left increasing rate of reverse(EQM move to make more)
What effect does increasing concentration have on equilibrium
Increasing conc of products moves equilibrium to the left increasing rate of reverse. Increasing conc of reactants moves equilibrium to the right increasing rate of forward reaction (moves to use excess)
How does an increase in pressure effect equilibrium
An increase in pressure will move equilibrium briefly to the side of the greater number if gaseous moles then to the side
