Lecture 4: Chemical Energy Flashcards
1
Q
What is the ‘upside down L’ symbol?
A
A capital Gamma. It is the mass action ratio and is used in delta G = delta standard G + RT x ln(capital Gamma), to mean ([C][D]/[A][B]). You can’t use Keq, because the system is not at equilibrium.
2
Q
How could the concentrations of A, B, C and D be constant, without being at equilibrium?
A
There are not isolated reactions, but part of a network. There could be other reactions generating the reactants and using up the products.
3
Q
What is a Vant Hoff plot?
A
A graph with 1/T (absolute temperature, Kelvin) on the x axis and lnKeq on the y axis. The y-intercept is (delta S/R) It is plotted by letting a reaction go to equilibrium at multiple different temperature and measuring the concentrations.
