Equilibrium Flashcards
What are reversible reactions?
Reactions that can go either way, in the forward direction or the backwards direction.
When has a reaction reached equilibrium?
A system has reached equilibrium when when no further change appears to occur - all concentrations remain constant.
What is dynamic equilibrium?
In dynamic equilibrium, macroscopic properties are constant (concentrations of all reactants and products remains constant) and the rate of the forward reaction is equal to the rate of the reverse reaction.
What are the characteristics of the equilibrium state?
- Macroscopic properties are constant at equilibrium, at equilibrium the concentrations of all reactants and products remain constant.
- At equilibrium the rate of the forward reaction is equal to the rate of the reverse reaction.
- Equilibrium can be attained only in a closed system - if it is in an open container than carbon dioxide escapes and cannot react back for example.
- All species in the chemical equation are present in the equilibrium mixture.
- Equilibrium can be attained from either direction.
What is the difference between chemical equilibria and physical equilibria?
Chemical equilibria is established as a result of chemical reactions. Physical equilibria involves a change of state, for example going between a vapour and a liquid. Physical equilibria can also be referred to as a phase equilibrium.
What does it mean when it says ‘equilibrium is a long way to the right’?
If the equation is A + B = C
Then it means it is making a lot more C.
What is Le Chatelier’s principle?
If a system at equilibrium is subjected to a change, the position of equilibrium will shift in order to minimise the effect of the change.
What is the effect of temperature on equilibrium?
INCREASE IN TEMPERATURE - It will shift to make the reaction mixture colder, and therefore will shift to the endothermic direction, to take in heat added.
What is the effect of pressure on equilibrium?
INCREASE IN PRESSURE - If there is an increase in pressure equilibrium will shift in the direction of less molecules. This is mainly only for gases, solids and liquids change very little.
What is the effect of concentration on equilibrium?
In general, if the concentration of one species in an equilibrium mixture is increased, the position of equilibrium shifts to reduce the concentration of this species.
What is the equilibrium constant?
The equilibrium constant is the ratio of found from putting products over reactants. This calculates the equilibrium constant.
For this reaction this is how you calculate it:
2A + B = 3C
(C)^3 / (A)^2 X (B)^1
You put the number of molecules in the power.
This makes Kc, which is the equilibrium constant.
What does Kc do?
An equilibrium constant provides information about how far a reaction proceeds at a particular temperature.
If Kc > 1 then the reaction makes more products than reactants and proceeds almost totally towards the products.
If Kc < 1 then the reaction hardly proceeds at all towards the products.
ONLY VALID AT EQUILIBRIUM
What is the difference between Q and Kc?
Q is the reaction quotient, and is the same equation but Kc is the reaction quotient at equilibrium. So when the system is at equilibrium, the concentrations are all equilibrium concentrations and the value of Q is equal to the value of Kc at that temperature.
If the value of Q is not equal to the value of Kc then we know instantly that the system is not at equilibrium.
What does it mean if Q is smaller than Kc?
It means that first of all the reaction is not at equilibrium and secondly that the reaction is proceeding to the right to make more products, because products are on top of the fraction so to proceed to equilibrium we need to increase Q as Kc is bigger.
What does it mean if Q is bigger than Kc?
Well first of all it means that the reaction is not at equilibrium and that it is making more products than reactants at the moment as it is big so the number on top of the fraction must be big and the reaction must move to the left in order to reach equilibrium.
What do you have to be careful of with Kc?
Because the reaction is at equilibrium this means that the concentrations are the same and neither is products or reactants kinda. Basically because it is a reversible reaction and the equation can be written either way and therefore the fraction be either way round there can be two values of Kc so it is only useful to know if you know which way round the equation was written in the first place.
What effects the equilibrium constant?
The equilibrium constant is only effected by a change in temperature. This is because if you increase pressure or concentration then you will be shifting the value and Q will not longer be equal to Kc because it is not at equilibrium. The reaction will change things in order to bring it back to Kc.
What is the effect on Kc of increasing the temperature of an exothermic reaction?
The reaction is exothermic so increasing the temperature of the reaction will cause the reaction to favour the backwards direction making more reactants. This will mean that there is a larger concentration of reactants than there is of products which will increase the bottom of the fraction and therefore DECREASE THE VALUE OF KC. FOR AN EXOTHERMIC REACTION, THE VALUE OF THE EQUILIBRIUM CONSTANT DECREASES AS THE TEMPERATURE IS INCREASED.
Why does temperature change the value of Kc but pressure does not?
HAVE EMAILED MR MCDAID V CONFUSED
What is the effect on Kc of increasing the temperature of an endothermic reaction?
This will increase the concentration of products, therefore increase the number on the top of the fraction and INCREASE KC.
What is the effect of catalysts on Kc?
A catalyst increases the rate of forward and reverse reactions equally. So the presence of a catalyst does not effect the position of equilibrium or the value of the equilibrium constant; it only reduces the time taken to reach equilibrium.
What does the equilibrium constant (Kc) tell us?
The equilibrium constant gives us information about how far a reaction goes towards completion (that is, the extent of the reaction). It gives us absolutely no information about how quickly the reaction occurs. Kinetic data, such as the rate constant, indicates how quickly equilibrium is attained but provide no information whatsoever about the position of equilibrium and how far the reaction proceeds.
How do you find the value of Kc when you have not ben given all of the concentrations?
- 00 mol H2 and 3.00 mol I2 are mixed together in a vessel of volume 10.0dm3 and allowed to come to equilibrium at 1100k. At equilibrium there were 0.43 mol I2 present in the reaction mixture. Calculate the value of the equilibrium constant.
1) First draw a table, with three rows: moles at start, moles used, and moles at equilibrium. You can work out from the question these things. - 00 3.00
- -
- 0.43
So if 0.43 are left then 2.57 must have been used up.
- 00 3.00
- 2.57
- 0.43
Because hydrogen and iodine react in a 1 to 1 ratio, then 2.57 moles of hydrogen must have reacted too.
- 00 3.00
- 57 2.57
- 0.43
So 5 - 2.57 = 2.43
- 00 3.00
- 57 2.57
- 43 0.43
Then you need to work out the products, so if 2.57 moles of both have reacted then there must be 2x2.57 moles of the products.
- 00 3.00
- 57 2.57
- 43 0.43 5.14
These are all in moles so you need to use
con = mol/vol
to work out the concentrations
- 43/10
- 43/10
5.14/10
and then literally just put these values into the equilibrium constant equation (don’t forget to square 0.514 because there are 2HI).
How do you work out the end concentrations of a reaction if you are given the starting ones and Kc?
Do a table like if you were given the end concentrations and + or - X instead. Then make an algebraic equation with Kc as the answer.