A student chemist used 2.0 x 10-3 M Fe(NO3)3 in 0.10 M HNO3 solution instead of 2.0 x 10-1 M Fe(NO3)3 in 0.10 M HNO3 solution in preparing the standard solutions. Explain how would this affect the experimental results. How would his/her value of Keq compare to Keq obtained from an experiment conducted correctly? 


Standard solutions for what? What experiment? What Keq. Does this involve KSCN? You may want to write the experiment.

As it is we have no idea what you're talking about.

To understand how using a different concentration of Fe(NO3)3 solution would affect the experimental results and the value of Keq, we need to understand the concept of equilibrium and how it is affected by the concentrations of reactants and products.

In a chemical reaction, equilibrium is reached when the rate of the forward reaction is equal to the rate of the reverse reaction. For a general reaction:

aA + bB ⇌ cC + dD

The equilibrium constant, Keq, is defined as the ratio of the products to reactants, each raised to the power of their respective stoichiometric coefficients:

Keq = [C]c[D]d / [A]a[B]b

In this case, the student chemist used a different concentration of Fe(NO3)3 solution, resulting in a different initial concentration of Fe(NO3)3 (A). Let's compare the two scenarios:

Scenario 1 (Correctly prepared solution):
[A] = 2.0 x 10-1 M
[B] = 0.10 M

Scenario 2 (Mistakenly prepared solution):
[A] = 2.0 x 10-3 M
[B] = 0.10 M

We can see that the concentration of Fe(NO3)3 (A) is significantly lower in the second scenario. This means that there are fewer Fe(NO3)3 molecules available to react, which can affect the overall reaction rate.

Since Keq is calculated based on the concentrations of reactants and products at equilibrium, using the incorrect concentration of Fe(NO3)3 will result in a different value for Keq. If the reaction was carried out to completion, the overall concentrations of products and reactants would still be dependent on their stoichiometric coefficients, but the actual equilibrium concentrations would be different.

Therefore, the student's value of Keq would be different from the correct value obtained from an experiment conducted with the correct concentration. It is important to note that Keq represents the intrinsic nature of the reaction and should not be affected by experimental mistakes. However, the experimentally determined value of Keq would be influenced by the mistake made in preparing the standard solutions.

In conclusion, using a different concentration of Fe(NO3)3 solution would affect the experimental results by altering the equilibrium concentrations of reactants and products, thereby leading to a different value of Keq compared to an experiment conducted correctly.