Think of the burning of wood in a campfire. Why can’t this reaction reach equilibrium?
a) The reaction releases energy.
b) The reaction is not reversible.
c) Mass is lost during the reaction.
The exact amount of wood has to be added over time.
The correct answer is (b) The reaction is not reversible. The burning of wood in a campfire is an irreversible reaction, meaning that it cannot reach equilibrium because the products cannot be converted back into the reactants. In contrast, reversible reactions can reach equilibrium because the products can be converted back into the reactants and vice versa. The other options are not relevant to the question.
The correct answer is b) The reaction is not reversible.
In a campfire, the burning of wood involves a chemical reaction known as combustion. Combustion reactions are typically exothermic, meaning they release energy in the form of heat and light. However, the burning of wood in a campfire is not a reversible reaction, and it cannot reach equilibrium.
Equilibrium is a state where the forward and backward reactions occur at equal rates, resulting in a constant concentration of reactants and products. Reversible reactions can reach equilibrium because they can proceed in both the forward and backward directions.
In the case of burning wood, once the wood is ignited, it undergoes a combustion reaction that irreversibly transforms the wood into ash, carbon dioxide, water vapor, and other byproducts. This means that the reaction cannot proceed in the opposite direction to reform the original wood, preventing it from reaching equilibrium.
Option c) Mass is lost during the reaction is also true, as the burning of wood results in the release of gases and the formation of ash, which causes a loss of mass overall. However, this alone does not prevent the reaction from reaching equilibrium. Option a) The reaction releases energy is also true, but it does not directly address the question of why the reaction cannot reach equilibrium.
Therefore, the main reason the burning of wood in a campfire cannot reach equilibrium is that it is not a reversible reaction.