Equilibrium Flashcards
chemical equilibrium
a dynamic reaction system in which the concentrations of all reactants and products remain constant as a function of time
equilibrium constant
the value obtained when equilibrium concentrations of the chemical species are substituted in the equilibrium expression
equilibrium expression
the expression (from the law of mass action) obtained by multiplying the product concentrations and dividing by the multiplied reactant concentrations, with each concentration raised to a power represented by the coefficient in the balanced equation
equilibrium position
a particular set of equilibrium concentrations
heterogeneous equilibrium
an equilibrium involving reactants and/or products in more than one phase
homogeneous equilibrium
an equilibrium system where all reactants and products are all in the same phase
law of mass action
a general description of the equilibrium condition; it defines the equilibrium constant
Le Chatelier’s Principle
if a change is imposed on a system equilibrium, the position of the equilibrium will shift in the direction that tends to reduce the effect of that change
Reaction Quotient, Q
a quotient obtained by applying the law of mass action to initial concentrations rather than to equilibrium concentrations
