If the equilibrium constant is much less than 1, how can you tell where the equilibrium lies?
A. Reactants are in the numerator of the equilibrium expression, so equilibrium lies toward the reactants.
B. Products are in the numerator of the equilibrium expression, so equilibrium lies toward the reactants.
C. Products are in the numerator of the equilibrium expression, so equilibrium lies toward the products.
D. Reactants are in the numerator of the equilibrium expression, so equilibrium lies toward the products.
The correct answer is B. :)
dG = -RTlnK
If dG is - then K is + and a +K means products are greater than reactants. Products are in the numerator; reactants in the denominator.
If the equilibrium constant (K) is much less than 1, it means that the concentration of products is relatively low compared to the concentration of reactants at equilibrium. In this case, the reactants are in the numerator of the equilibrium expression (K), so the equilibrium lies toward the reactants. Therefore, the correct answer is A.
To determine where the equilibrium lies when the equilibrium constant (K) is much less than 1, you need to look at the equilibrium expression. The equilibrium expression is written as a ratio of product concentrations raised to their stoichiometric coefficients in the balanced chemical equation divided by reactant concentrations raised to their stoichiometric coefficients.
If the equilibrium constant is much less than 1, it means that the concentration of products in the numerator of the equilibrium expression is much smaller compared to the concentration of the reactants in the denominator. This suggests that the concentration of reactants is much greater than the concentration of products at equilibrium.
So, in the given options:
A. Reactants are in the numerator of the equilibrium expression, so equilibrium lies toward the reactants.
B. Products are in the numerator of the equilibrium expression, so equilibrium lies toward the reactants.
C. Products are in the numerator of the equilibrium expression, so equilibrium lies toward the products.
D. Reactants are in the numerator of the equilibrium expression, so equilibrium lies toward the products.
Based on the explanation above, the correct answer is option A: Reactants are in the numerator of the equilibrium expression, so equilibrium lies toward the reactants.