LEARNING ACTIVITY SHEET

QUARTER: 4th/ SEMESTER: 2nd / WEEK: 3a

Name: ________________________________________________ Score: _______

Grade & Section: _______________________ Subject: GENERAL CHEMISTRY 2
Name of Teacher: EDWARD HENRY M. CAOILE Date: _____________
I. Title: Chemical Equilibrium
II. Type of Activity: Concept notes with formative activities

LAS for summative assessment ( Written Work Performance Task)

III. MELC: Explain chemical equilibrium in terms of the reaction rates of the forward
and the reverse reaction, STEM_GC11CEIVb-e-145.

IV. Learning Objective/s:

• Describe reversible reactions.
• Explain the concept of chemical equilibrium.
• Write expressions for the reaction quotient/equilibrium constants.

V. Reference/s:

Print Material/s:
Chang, R. (2010). Chemistry Tenth Edition, pp: 616-617.

Patalinghug, W. C., et al. (2016). Teaching Guide for Senior High School
General Chemistry 2, pp: 460-476.

Online Resource/s:
Khan Academy (2020). Writing equilibrium constant expressions.
Retrieved from
https://www.khanacademy.org/science/chemistry/chemical-
equilibrium/equilibrium-constant/e/writing-equilibrium-constant-
expressions-exercise on May 20, 2021.
7 Active Technology Solution Pvt. Ltd. (2014). Demonstrating dynamic
nature of equilibrium. Retrieved from
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PkVwAYqBIFs on May 20,
2021.

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VI. Concept Notes

CHEMICAL EQUILIBRIUM
Equilibrium is a word that indicates balance or steadiness.
When we say that someone is keeping his or her equilibrium, we are referring
to a state of balance among various opposing forces. Equilibrium is also used in a
similar but more specific way in chemistry. Chemists define equilibrium as the
balancing of two processes, one of which is the opposite of the other.
Few chemical reactions proceed in only one direction. Most are reversible, at
least to some extent. The decomposition of colorless dinitrogen tetraoxide gas into the
brown nitrogen dioxide gas is an example of reversible reaction.
N2O4(g) ⇌ 2NO2(g)
When pure N2O4 gas is placed in a glass container at room temperature, a
brown color will be observed in the container after a few moments, indicating the
formation of NO2. The brown color will get darker as more NO2 is formed from N2O4,
until eventually the intensity of the brown color no longer changes. At this point, the
system has already reached equilibrium, a condition at which the rate of formation of
N2O4 from NO2 is equal to the rate of the decomposition of N2O4 to NO2.
Suppose pure NO2 gas is initially placed in a container instead of N 2O4. After a
few seconds, the brown color of the NO2 gets lighter as it converts to the colorless
N2O4. The system has again reached a state of equilibrium when no apparent change
in color is observed. In both cases, equilibrium is said to happen when there is no
observable change in the system. Does this indicate that the reaction actually goes
to completion at equilibrium?
According to the rate law in chemical kinetics, the rate of a reaction increases
at higher concentrations of the reactants. In the context of a reversible reaction, this
concept suggests that as the forward reaction proceeds, more products are formed,
which in turn serve as the reactants for the reverse reaction. Thus, as the reaction
proceeds, the rate of the forward reaction decreases as the reactants are consumed.
At the same time, the rate of the reverse reaction increases as more products are
formed. The rate of the reverse reaction increase as more products are formed. The
system will eventually reach a point where the rate of the forward reaction becomes
equal to the rate of the reverse reaction. At this point, the system is said to have
reached a state of dynamic equilibrium. Hence, reaction does not go to completion.
LAW OF MASS ACTION AND EQUILIBRIUM CONSTANT EXPRESSION
At equilibrium, no apparent change in the state of the system is observed. This
is because when the rates of the forward and reverse reactions become equal, the
concentrations of the reactants and products remain constant over time. This principle
is known as the Law of Mass Action.
Consider a reversible reaction with a general equation: aA + bB ⇌ cC + dD

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where A, B, C, and D represent chemical species and a, b, c, and d are their
coefficients in the balanced equation, the law of mass action is represented by the
following equilibrium expression:
c d
[C] [D]
K= b
a
[A] [B]
The square brackets indicate that the concentrations of the substances at
equilibrium are expressed in molarity (mol/L), and K is a constant called the equilibrium
constant. Note that the equilibrium expression is a ratio of the concentrations of the
products to the concentrations of the reactants. The coefficient of the substance in the
balanced equation will serve as the exponent.
Homogeneous Equilibria
A homogeneous equilibrium involves reactants and products that are present
in only one phase.
Example 1: For the reaction: N2O4(g) ⇌ NO2(g) whose equilibrium constant was
experimentally determined to be equal to 4.6 x 10-3 at 25oC, the
equilibrium constant expression is written as:
2
[NO2 ]
Answer: K= = 4.6 x 10-3
[N2 O4 ]

Example 2: 2NO(g) + Cl2(g) ⇌ 2NOCl(g)

2
[NOCl]
Answer: K= 2
[NO] [Cl2 ]

For homogeneous gaseous equilibria, equilibrium constants may also be

expressed in terms of partial pressures. The expression is the same, only that the
partial pressure is used instead of the molar concentration.
Example 3: 2SO3(g) ⇌ 2SO2(g) + O2(g)
2
(PSO ) (PO )
Answer: K= 2 2
2
(PSO )
3

Heterogeneous Equilibria
The reactants and products exist in different phases in a heterogeneous
equilibrium.
Example 4: Breakdown of calcium carbonate (CaCO3) into calcium oxide (CaO) and
carbon dioxide (CO2).
CaCO3(s) ⇌ CaO(s) + CO2(g)
Answer: K = [CO2]

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 In a heterogeneous equilibrium, pure solid and pure liquid substances do not
appear in the equilibrium constant expression because they do not change
significantly during reactions.
Example 5: 2ZnS(s) + 3O2(g) ⇌ 2ZnO(s) + 2SO2(g)
2
[SO2 ]
Answer: K= 3
[O2]

NOTE: In writing equilibrium constant expression, always check if the chemical

equation is balanced. If an unbalanced chemical equation is given, then balance first
the equation.

Visit the link below to check how good you are at writing equilibrium constant
expressions.

https://www.khanacademy.org/science/chemistry/chemical-equilibrium/equilibrium-
constant/e/writing-equilibrium-constant-expressions-exercise