In general, which reaction(forward, reverse, or neither) is favored if the value of K at a specified temperature is
a. equal to 1?
b. very small
c. very large
Doesn't K equal the conc of products over the reactants?
a. neither
b. products/reactants <1 therefore there is more reactants, so the reaction will try to proceed forward to increase products in order to get to equilibrium.
c. opposite of b
To determine which reaction (forward, reverse, or neither) is favored at a given temperature for a reaction with a specified value of K, we need to consider the reaction quotient Q.
The reaction quotient, Q, is calculated using the same formula as the equilibrium constant, K, but with the concentrations or partial pressures of the species at any given time, instead of the equilibrium concentrations or partial pressures.
a. When the value of K is equal to 1, it means that the reaction is at equilibrium. At equilibrium, the concentrations of reactants and products do not change over time. This suggests that the forward and reverse reactions are occurring at the same rate, resulting in no net conversion of reactants to products or vice versa. Therefore, neither the forward nor the reverse reaction is favored.
b. When the value of K is very small, it indicates that the concentrations of products are much smaller than the concentrations of reactants. This suggests that the reverse reaction is favored, as the equilibrium position lies toward the reactant side. The reaction tends to proceed in the reverse direction to generate more reactants and decrease the concentration of products.
c. Conversely, when the value of K is very large, it implies that the concentrations of products are much greater than the concentrations of reactants. This suggests that the forward reaction is favored, as the equilibrium position lies toward the product side. The reaction tends to proceed in the forward direction to generate more products and decrease the concentration of reactants.
In summary:
- If the value of K is 1, neither the forward nor the reverse reaction is favored.
- If the value of K is very small, the reverse reaction is favored.
- If the value of K is very large, the forward reaction is favored.