Chemsitry
The IUPAC name of acetic acid, CH3COOH(aq), is ethanoic acid. It ionizes in water as shown below:
CH3COOH (aq) + H2O (l) → H3O+(aq) + CH3COO–(aq)
At equilibrium, which of the following statements is correct?
a) Products are favoured.
b) Reactants are favoured.
c) One of the reactants and one of the products are favoured.
d) The concentration of reactants and products are equal.
e) H3O+(aq) is a weaker acid than CH3COOH (aq)
c) One of the reactants and one of the products are favoured.
are you sure?
I apologize, I misspoke. The correct answer is d) The concentration of reactants and products are equal. At equilibrium, the forward and reverse reactions occur at equal rates, resulting in the establishment of an equilibrium concentration of reactants and products.
What is the final answer?
d) The concentration of reactants and products are equal.
To determine which statement is correct at equilibrium, we need to consider the reaction and the concept of equilibrium.
In the given reaction between acetic acid (CH3COOH) and water (H2O), acetic acid donates a proton (H+) to water, forming hydronium ions (H3O+) and acetate ions (CH3COO-). This reaction is known as an acid-base reaction.
At equilibrium, the concentration of reactants and products reaches a constant value, meaning the forward and reverse reactions occur at the same rate. It's important to note that at equilibrium, the concentrations of reactants and products don't have to be equal.
Looking at the equilibrium reaction:
CH3COOH (aq) + H2O (l) → H3O+(aq) + CH3COO–(aq)
We can observe that acetic acid (CH3COOH) is the reactant and hydronium ions (H3O+) and acetate ions (CH3COO-) are the products. The equilibrium constant (K) for this reaction can be expressed as [H3O+][CH3COO-]/[CH3COOH][H2O].
Now, let's analyze the given statements:
a) Products are favored: This statement suggests that at equilibrium, the concentration of products is higher than the concentration of reactants. However, it is important to note that the equilibrium constant does not determine the concentrations of reactants and products. It only reflects the ratio of their concentrations.
b) Reactants are favored: This statement suggests that at equilibrium, the concentration of reactants is higher than the concentration of products. Again, the equilibrium constant does not provide information about the concentrations of reactants and products.
c) One of the reactants and one of the products are favored: This statement suggests that at equilibrium, either a reactant or a product is favored. However, as mentioned earlier, the equilibrium constant does not determine favorability. It only reflects the ratio of concentrations.
d) The concentration of reactants and products are equal: This statement suggests that at equilibrium, the concentrations of reactants and products are equal. However, this is not always the case. The equilibrium constant only provides information about the concentrations of reactants and products relative to each other.
e) H3O+(aq) is a weaker acid than CH3COOH (aq): This statement compares the relative acidity of H3O+ and CH3COOH. It does not directly relate to the equilibrium or the concentration of reactants and products.
Based on the given statements and the explanation, we can conclude that none of the statements is entirely correct. The correct answer would be "None of the above".