Equilibrium Particulate View

Background
You work for a chemical company where the following exothermic chemical reaction is taking place:
N2(g) + 3H2(g)  2NH3(g), H= –92 kJ/mol.
The products of the reaction will eventually be cooled into a liquid and used in a cleaning product.

Objective
Your team has been asked to do a short presentation on the contents of the reaction vessel at four different times
during the reaction.
A. 0 seconds
B. 10 seconds
C. 20 seconds
D. 30 seconds

Your boss has asked your team to use the next hour to create a rough draft (using a white board separated into four
sections as seen below) of a particulate-level diagram of the reaction vessel at each point in time. She has given you
some conditions to help you in your work:
1) The reaction vessel should start with four particles of N2 and ten particles of H2
2) The reaction takes place at a temperature where there are two particles of N 2 remaining at equilibrium
3) The reaction is known to reach equilibrium after 20 seconds.

Please work out your particulate-level diagrams on your whiteboards and once your group has agreed on a
consensus model for each diagram, copy them into the boxes below.

A. 0 seconds B. 10 seconds

C. 20 seconds D. 30 seconds

Analysis
1. Calculate the Kc value for this reaction.

2. What does this Kc value tell you about the relative amounts of products and reactants at equilibrium?
3. What can you say about the relationship between the forward rate and reverse rate for this equilibrium
reaction at each of the four times?
 0 seconds:

 10 seconds:

 20 seconds:

 30 seconds:

4. Explain what Q means in relation to Kc. What does it mean for the reaction when Q > Kc? When Q < Kc? When
Q = Kc?

5. Which diagram(s) would represent a Q value and which diagram(s) would represent a K c value? Calculate the
Q values for the diagram(s) representing Q values.

6. What happens to the value of K when the temperature changes?

7. What are two potential strategies you would recommend to increase production of the NH 3?