The value of the equilibrium constant, Kc, at a certain temperature is 4.20 x 10-2. Would the reaction as represented by the chemical equation favor reactants or products? Enter Product or Reactant.
PCl5(g) = PCl3(g)+Cl2(g)
Kc = (PCl3)(Cl2)/(PCl5) = 4.2 x 10^-2
With Kc equal to less than 1, that means that the numerator is smaller than the denominator and that means the reactants will be larger than the products. A second reason, and you need to Kc value, all materials are gaseous and the side with the smaller number of moles is the preferred side if pressure rises.
To determine whether the reaction as represented by the chemical equation favors reactants or products, you need to compare the value of the equilibrium constant (Kc) to determine the relative concentrations of reactants and products at equilibrium.
In this case, the equilibrium constant (Kc) is given as 4.20 x 10-2. The equilibrium constant is a ratio of the concentrations of products to the concentrations of reactants at equilibrium.
If the value of Kc is less than 1, it indicates that the concentration of reactants is greater than the concentration of products at equilibrium. This means the reaction favors the reactants.
If the value of Kc is greater than 1, it indicates that the concentration of products is greater than the concentration of reactants at equilibrium. This means the reaction favors the products.
In this case, the value of Kc is 4.20 x 10-2, which is less than 1. Therefore, the reaction as represented by the chemical equation favors the reactants.