At equilibrium, what is the rate of production of reactants compared with the rate of the production of products?
much higher
higher***
the same
lower
Unit 3 Lesson 8 Quick Check
Chemistry
Connections Academy
1) C. The same
2) A. 2SO3-->2SO2+O2
3) A. The reaction shifts towards the product gas
4) A. The reaction makes more products
5) B. [CO2]/[C][O2]
100%
At equilibrium, the rate of production of reactants is the same as the rate of production of products. This means that the forward and reverse reactions are occurring at the same speed, resulting in no net change in the concentrations of reactants and products.
To determine this, one can refer to the principle of microscopic reversibility, which states that if a reaction can occur in one direction, then the reverse reaction is also possible under the same conditions. At equilibrium, the forward and reverse reactions are happening simultaneously with equal rates.
This can also be understood from the concept of dynamic equilibrium, where the concentrations of reactants and products no longer change as the forward and reverse reactions proceed. At this point, the rates of the two reactions will be equal.
Therefore, at equilibrium, the rate of production of reactants is the same as the rate of production of products, and the answer is "the same."