During a chemical reaction, if Q = K, what can be said about the reaction?
A. The reaction still proceeds in both directions, but the net result is that the reactant and product concentrations do not change.
B. The amount of product is always equal to the amount of reactant.
C. The reaction proceeds in the direction of the products.
D. No additional reaction occurs, since the system is at equilibrium.
The correct answer is A.
The reaction is at equilibrium because the constant is equal to the reaction quotient. This means that the reaction goes both forward and backward at the same time, and there is no net change in concentration of reactants nor products.
To answer this question, we need to understand the concept of reaction quotient (Q) and the equilibrium constant (K). The reaction quotient is a measure of the relative concentrations of products and reactants at a given point during a chemical reaction, while the equilibrium constant is a constant value that represents the ratio of products to reactants at equilibrium.
In a chemical reaction, if the value of Q is equal to the value of K, it means that the concentrations of products and reactants are at equilibrium. This implies that the forward and reverse reactions are occurring at the same rate and that there is no net change in the concentrations of reactants and products over time.
Therefore, the correct answer is option D: No additional reaction occurs, since the system is at equilibrium. When Q equals K, the reaction has reached equilibrium, and there is no further transformation of reactants into products or vice versa.
To determine the values of Q and K, you need to know the balanced chemical equation for the reaction and the concentrations or pressures of the reactants and products involved. Once you have these values, you can substitute them into the appropriate formulas to calculate Q and compare it to K to determine the state of the reaction.