Share
How is the reaction quotient used to determine whether a system is at equilibrium?
Question
Lost your password? Please enter your email address. You will receive a link and will create a new password via email.
Answers ( )
Answer:
The answer to the question above is explained below
Explanation:
The reaction quotient, Q, is a measure of the relative amounts of reactants and products during a chemical reaction as it can be used to determine in which direction a reaction will proceed at a given point in time. Equilibrium constant is the numerical value of reaction quotient at the end of the reaction, when equilibrium is reached.
If Q = K then the system is already at equilibrium. If Q < Keq, the reaction will move toward the products to reach equilibrium. If Q > Keq, the reaction will move toward the reactants in order to reach equilibrium. Therefore, by comparing Q and K, we can determine the direction of a reaction.
Where Q= reaction quotient and Keq= equilibrium constant for the reaction.
The larger the equilibrium constant, the further the equilibrium lies toward the products. Reaction quotient is a quantity that changes as a reaction system approaches equilibrium.
We can determine the equilibrium constant based on equilibrium concentrations. K is the constant of a certain reaction when it is in equilibrium. Equilibrium occurs when there is a constant ratio between the concentration of the reactants and the products.