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Tutorial Sheet4

This document discusses chemical equilibrium. It defines equilibrium constants (Kc) and reaction quotients (Qc) and how they relate to the amounts of reactants and products at equilibrium and during a reaction. It provides examples of calculating Kc values and using ICE tables to determine equilibrium concentrations for the reaction of NO2 and N2O4 given specific initial conditions. It asks critical thinking questions about predicting reaction direction based on relative magnitudes of Kc and Qc and performing related equilibrium calculations.

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Lê Anh Quang
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29 views

Tutorial Sheet4

This document discusses chemical equilibrium. It defines equilibrium constants (Kc) and reaction quotients (Qc) and how they relate to the amounts of reactants and products at equilibrium and during a reaction. It provides examples of calculating Kc values and using ICE tables to determine equilibrium concentrations for the reaction of NO2 and N2O4 given specific initial conditions. It asks critical thinking questions about predicting reaction direction based on relative magnitudes of Kc and Qc and performing related equilibrium calculations.

Uploaded by

Lê Anh Quang
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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General Chemistry II - Worksheet 4: Equilibrium

Model 1: The Equilibrium Constant


Many chemical reactions lead to a mixture of reactants and products. You will end up with a mixture of both
NO2(g) and N2O4(g) whether you start with pure NO2(g) or pure N2O4(g). Such reactions are said to reach an
equilibrium in which the amount of each substance does not change.
Consider a reaction such as that below which has been left long enough to reach equilibrium.
wW(g) + xX(g) yY(g) + zZ(g)
The equilibrium constant in terms of concentrations, Kc, is a constant at a given temperature that defines how
much of each substance there will be at equilibrium:

Kc =

If Kc > 1, the mixture will contain more of the substances on the right hand side (Y and Z) of the equation.
If Kc < 1, the mixture will contain more of the substances on the left hand side (W and Z) of the equation.

In worksheets 2 and 3, you studied the thermodynamics of the equilibrium between NO2 and its dimer N2O4.
Starting from NO2, the formation of the dimer can be studied using one of the two equations below:
2NO2(g) N2O4(g) (A)
NO2(g) ½ N2O4(g) (B)
Starting from the dimer, the formation of NO2 can be studied using one of the two equations below:
N2O4(g) 2NO2(g) (C)
½ N2O4(g ) NO2(g) (D)
Critical thinking questions
1. Write down the expression for Kc for reactions A, B, C and D in Model 1.

Kc (A) = Kc (B) = Kc (C) = Kc (D) =

2. Looking at the equations in Q1, what is the mathematical relationship between the different forms of Kc?

(a) Kc (A) and Kc (B) (b) Kc (A) and Kc (C)

3. At equilibrium at room temperature, [NO2(g)] = 1.60 M and [N2O4] = 0.20 M. Calculate the values of
Kc(A) and Kc(B) and Kc(C) and hence confirm your analysis in Q2.

Model 2: The Reaction Quotient


The reaction quotient, Qc, for a reaction wW(g) + xX(g) yY(g) + zZ(g), is defined as follows:

Qc =

It looks similar to the equilibrium constant expression. The difference is that Qc can be calculated at any time
during a reaction or if a reaction is disturbed. It is used to predict the direction in which a reaction will move.
Critical thinking questions
Consider the reaction 2NO2(g) N2O4(g) to be at equilibrium with [NO2(g)] = 1.60 M, [N2O4] = 0.20 M
and Kc = 0.078.
1. Predict qualitatively what will happen to this reaction if more NO2 is added so that [NO2(g)] = 2.00 M?

2. Predict qualitatively what will happen to this reaction if instead NO2 is removed so that [NO2(g)] = 1.00 M?

3. Calculate the values for Qc for these two experiments.

(a) [NO2(g)] = 2.00 M and [N2O4] = 0.20 M: Qc =

(b) [NO2(g)] = 1.00 M and [N2O4] = 0.20 M: Qc =

4. Using your answers to Q1 - 3, what in general happens to a reaction if

(a) Qc < Kc

(b) Qc > Kc

Model 3: Equilibrium calculations


Model 2 gives you the tools to predict the direction in which a reaction will move if it is not at equilibrium. The
concentrations that will be obtained when equilibrium is finally reached can be calculated using an ICE table:
initial-change-equilibrium.
Consider the starting mixture in Q1 of Model 2: [NO2(g)] = 2.00 M and [N2O4(g)] = 0.20 M. These are the
initial concentrations and are written in the first row of the reaction table below. You know from Model 2 that
this reaction will shift so that some NO2(g) reacts to make N2O4(g). We do not know how much will react but
we can calculate it:
2NO2(g) N2O4(g)
initial 2.00 0.20
change +x
equilibrium 0.20 + x

Critical thinking questions


1. From the chemical equation: every time one N2O4 molecule is formed, two NO2 molecules are lost. If
[N2O4(g)] increases by x to reach equilibrium, what will the change in [NO2(g)] be? Add this change to
the second row of the table. (Hint: is the change positive or negative.
2. Complete the third row of the table.
3. Substitute the equilibrium concentrations from the third row into your expression for Kc(A) from Q1 in
Model 1.

4. You now have a mathematical expression to solve for x. Using Kc = 0.078. solve for x and hence work
out the equilibrium values of [NO2(g)] and [N2O4(g)].
Exam type questions
Marks
The CO(g) in water gas can be reacted further with H2O(g) in the so-called “water-gas shift”
4
reaction:
CO(g) + H2O(g) CO2(g) + H2(g)
At 900 K, Kc = 1.56 for this reaction. A sample of water gas flowing over coal at
900 K contains a 1:1 mole ratio of CO(g) and H2(g), as well as 0.250 mol L–1 H2O(g). This
sample is placed in a sealed container at 900 K and allowed to come to equilibrium, at which
point it contains 0.070 mol L–1 CO2(g). What was the initial concentration of CO(g) and H2(g) in
the sample?

[CO] = [H2] =

If the walls of the container are chilled to below 100 ºC, what will be the effect on the
concentration of CO2(g)?

Marks
• At 700 °C, hydrogen and iodine react according to the following equation. 10
H2(g) + I2(g) 2HI(g) Kc = 49.0
Hydrogen also reacts with sulfur at 700 °C:
2H2(g) + S2(g) 2H2S(g) Kc = 1.075 × 108
Determine Kc for the following overall equilibrium reaction at 700 °C.
2I2(g) + 2H2S(g) S2(g) + 4HI(g)
Kc

If 0.250 mol of HI(g) is introduced into a 2.00 L flask at 700 °C, what will be the concentration of
I2(g) at equilibrium?

Answer:

If 0.274 g of H2S were now introduced into the same flask, what would be the concentration of
S2(g) at equilibrium?

Answer:

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