Chemical

Equilibrium
REVERSIBLE
REACTIONS
 Chemical Equilibrium (Equilibrium
State)
We achieve chemical equilibrium when a reaction’s forward progress is
perfectly balanced with the reverse progress
 The Equilibrium Constant (K)
Law of mass action expression or the
equilibrium constant expression. For a general
equilibrium reaction shown below:
aA + bB ⇌ cC + dD
The law of mass action expression is
written as:
Where the [X] is the concentration expressed in molarity
per compound and K is the equilibrium constant.
If molar concentrations are used, K may also be referred
to as Kc while if pressure is used then we have Kp.
The law of mass action is basically the ratio of the
concentrations of the products raised to their respective
stoichiometric coefficients to that of the reactants in
equilibrium.
 CALCULATING K GIVEN
CONCENTRATION OR PARTIAL
PRESSURES
EXAMPLE #1 A mixture of hydrogen and nitrogen
in a volumetric flask can attain equilibrium at 472
°C. The equilibrium mixture of gases was
analyzed and found to contain 7.38 atm H2, 2.46
atm N2 and 0.166 atm NH3. From these data,
calculate the equilibrium constant Kp for the
reaction.
 Example 2:
An aqueous solution of acetic acid is found to have the
following concentrations at 25 °C: [CH3COOH] = 1.65 × 10–2
M; [H3O+] = 5.44 × 10–4 M; and [CH3COO–] = 5.44 × 10–4 M.
Calculate the equilibrium constant Kc for the ionization of
acetic acid at 25 °C. The reaction is:
For equilibrium reactions where the
reactants and products are in different
phases (heterogeneous equilibria), pure
solids and pure liquids are excluded in
writing equilibrium constant expressions.
SW. 2: I Write the equilibrium expression, Kc, for the
following reactions in your paper. .
 II. CALCULATE:
Gaseous hydrogen iodide is placed in a closed container
at 425°C, where it partially decomposes to hydrogen
and iodine: At equilibrium, it is found that [HI] = 3.53 ×
10–3 M, [H2] = 4.79 × 10–4 M and [I2] =4.79 × 10–4 M.
What is the value of Kc at this temperature?
III. For the following reactions at equilibrium, identify
which between the reactants and products is dominant.