LEARNING ACTIVITY SHEET

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

Name: ________________________________________________ Score: _______

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

LAS for summative assessment ( Written Work Performance Task)

III. MELC: Calculate equilibrium constant and the pressure or concentration of

reactants or products in an equilibrium mixture, STEM_GC11CEIVb-e-148.

IV. Learning Objective/s:

• Explain the significance of the value of the equilibrium constant.
• Determine the equilibrium constant and the pressure or concentration of
reactants or products in an equilibrium mixture.
• Perform calculations involving equilibrium of gaseous reactions.

V. Reference/s:

Print Material/s:
Chang, R. (2010). Chemistry Tenth Edition, pp: 618-631.

Patalinghug, W. C., et al. (2016). Teaching Guide for Senior High School
General Chemistry 2, pp: 460-485.
Online Resource/s:
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.
Hutton, C. (2019). The Equilibrium Constant, K. Retrieved from
https://chem.libretexts.org/Bookshelves/Physical_and_Theoretic
al_Chemistry_Textbook_Maps/Supplemental_Modules_(Physica
l_and_Theoretical_Chemistry)/Equilibria/Chemical_Equilibria/Cal
culating_An_Equilibrium_Concentrations/Writing_Equilibrium_Co
nstant_Expressions_Involving_Gases/Meaning_Of_The_Equilibr
ium_Constant%2C_K on May 20, 2021.

1
 Khan Academy (2020). The equilibrium constant K. Retrieved from
https://www.khanacademy.org/science/chemistry/chemical-
equilibrium/equilibrium-constant/a/the-equilibrium-constant-k on
May 20, 2021.

VI. Concept Notes

THE EQUILIBRIUM CONSTANT

The speed of a chemical reaction is determined by chemical kinetics. The

extent of a chemical reaction is figured out by thermodynamics. There are only two
possible outcomes in these two disciplines: the reaction will either go to completion or
it will reach a state of equilibrium.
This Learning Activity Sheet focuses on describing and quantifying how far a
chemical reaction goes based on an experimentally measurable quantity called
equilibrium constant.
You have just learned from the previous Learning Activity Sheet that the
concentrations of the reactants and products are not equal at equilibrium rather, the
rates of forward and reverse reactions are equal. So, what about concentrations? The
concentrations of the reactants and products at equilibrium can be quantified using the
equilibrium constant (K).
If K > 1, the equilibrium lies to the right and the mixture contains mostly
products.
If K < 1, the equilibrium lies to the left and the mixture contains mostly reactants.
If K = 1, the amounts of reactants and products will be the same.
For example, consider the reaction of H2(g) + Br2(g) ⇌ 2HBr(g) with equilibrium
constant, K, value of 1.9 x 1019. The K is large, indicating that the equilibrium for
reaction lies to the right which means high concentration of products and low
concentration of reactants. In other words, forward reaction is favored.
The figure below summarizes the relationship of K value and the composition
of the equilibrium mixture.

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Calculating K when equilibrium concentrations/partial pressures are known
Example 1: Gaseous hydrogen iodide partially decomposes into hydrogen and
iodine in a closed container at 425°C. At equilibrium, the concentration
of hydrogen iodide [HI] is 3.53 × 10–3 M, [H2] is 4.79 × 10–4 M and [I2] is
4.79 × 10–4 M. What is the value of K at this temperature?
[H2 ][I2 ]
Answer: K=
[HI]2
[4.79 × 10–4 𝑀][4.79 × 10–4 𝑀]
K=
[3.53 × 10–3 𝑀]2

K = 0.0184
Example 2: Hydrogen gas and nitrogen gas are placed in a reaction vessel and
attained equilibrium at 472°C. At this temperature, it is found that the
partial pressure of H2 is 7.38 atm, N2 is 2.46 atm and NH3 is 0.166 atm.
Compute the equilibrium constant K for the reaction.
N2(g) + 3H2(g) ⇌ 2NH3(g)
2
(PNH )
Answer: K= 3
3
(PN ) (PH )
2 2
2
(0.166)
K= 3
(2.46) (7.38)

K = 2.79 x 10-5
Calculating K from initial and equilibrium concentrations/partial pressures
Example 3: A reaction vessel initially containing 1.000 x 10 –3 M H2 and 2.000 x 10–3
M I2 at 448°C is allowed to reach equilibrium. What is the equilibrium
constant (K) for the reaction if the [HI] is 1.870 x 10–3 M at equilibrium?
H2(g) + I2(g) ⇌ 2HI(g)
Given: initial concentrations: 1.000 x 10–3 M H2 and 2.000 x 10–3 M I2
equilibrium concentration: 1.870 x 10–3 M HI
Strategy: Using the ICE table, tabulate the given initial and equilibrium
concentration. Denote the changes in concentration using a variable as
guided by stoichiometric coefficients in the balanced chemical equation.
Solve for the unknown to calculate for the equilibrium concentrations of
H2 and I2 and then solve for K.
Solution: Let x = amount of H2 that changes to attain equilibrium

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 ICE Table
H2(g) + I2(g) ⇌ 2HI(g)
Initial 1.000 x 10–3 M 2.000 x 10–3 M 0
Change -x -x + 2x
Equilibrium 1.000 x 10–3 M - x 2.000 x 10–3 M - x 1.870 x 10–3 M

[HI]eq = 2x = 1.870 x 10–3 M

1.870 𝑥 10−3 𝑀
x= = 9.350 x 10-4 M
2
[H2]eq = 1.000 x 10–3 M - 9.350 x 10-4 M = 6.500 x 10-5 M
[I2]eq = 2.000 x 10–3 M - 9.350 x 10-4 M = 1.065 x 10-3 M
[HI]2 [1.870 𝑥 10−3 𝑀]2
Answer: K= = = 50.5
[H2 ][I2 ] [6.500 𝑥 10−5 𝑀][1.065 𝑥 10−3 𝑀]

Example 4: Sulfur trioxide decomposes at high temperature in a sealed container

according to the reaction: 2SO3(g) ⇌ 2SO2(g) + O2(g)
The vessel is charged with SO3(g) at 1000 K and partial pressure of
0.500 atm. When equilibrium is reached the partial pressure of SO 3 is
0.200 atm. Determine the value of K at this condition.
Answer: K = 0.338
Calculating equilibrium concentrations/ partial pressures from initial
concentrations/ partial pressures and K values
Example 5: For the equilibrium Br2(g) + Cl2(g) ⇌ 2BrCl(g), the equilibrium constant
K is 7.00 at 400 K. If a cylinder is inserted with BrCl(g) at an initial
pressure of 1.00 atm, what is the equilibrium partial pressure of BrCl at
equilibrium?
Solution: Let x = amount of BrCl that changes to attain equilibrium.
ICE Table
Br2(g) + Cl2(g) ⇌ 2BrCl(g)
Initial 0 0 1.00 atm
Change +x +x - 2x
Equilibrium x x 1.00 atm - 2x

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 (PBrCl )2
K=
(PBr2 )(PCl2 )

(1.00 𝑎𝑡𝑚 − 2𝑥)2

7.00 =
(𝑥)(𝑥)

1.00 𝑎𝑡𝑚−2𝑥
√7.00 = √
𝑥2
1.00−2𝑥
1.65 =
𝑥
2.65x = 1.00 – 2x
4.65x = 1.00
1.00
x= = 0.215
4.65
Answer: (PBrCl)eq = 1.00 atm – 2x
(PBrCl)eq = 1.00 atm – 2(0.215 atm) = 0.570 atm
Example 6: The reaction 2NO(g) ⇌ N2(g) + O2(g) has a K value of 2400 at 2000 K. If
0.850 M each of N2 and O2 are initially present in a 3.00-L vessel,
calculate the equilibrium concentrations of NO, N 2, and O2.
Answer: [N2]eq = 0.840 M, [O2]eq = 0.840 M, and [NO]eq = 0.017 M

The value of the equilibrium constant (K) is not changed by a change in the
concentration or pressure of any species involved in the reaction nor the use of a
catalyst. However, it varies with temperature and, therefore, when giving K values, the
temperature should always be stated.

The Reaction Quotient, Q

Question: What if the concentrations of reactant and products given are not
equilibrium concentrations?
If the concentrations given are not equilibrium concentrations, we can calculate
for the reaction quotient. Reaction quotient is the value obtained when product and
reactant concentrations or partial pressures at any point of the reaction is plugged in
the equilibrium constant expression. It is calculated in the same way as K. Thus, for a
general equilibrium reaction
aA + bB ⇌ cC + dD

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The reaction quotient can be expressed as:
c d
[C] [D]
Q= b
a
[A] [B]
or if in terms of partial pressures,
c d
(PC ) (PD )
Q= a b
(PA ) (PB )

The reaction quotient is used to determine if a chemical reaction is at

equilibrium, and if not, in which direction the reaction will proceed to attain the
equilibrium.
If Q = K, the reaction is in equilibrium.
If Q > K, favors the reverse reaction.
If Q < K, favors the forward reaction.
Example 7: A container initially contains N2, H2, and NH3 gases with concentrations
of 0.82 M, 0.54 M, and 0.31 M, respectively. The mixture was heated to
375oC and allowed to attain equilibrium, if K is 1.2 at this temperature, to
which direction the reaction will proceed to reach equilibrium?
N2(g) + 3H2(g) ⇌ 2NH3(g)
2
[NH3 ]
Answer: Q= 3
[N2 ] [H2]
2
[0.31 𝑀]
Q= 3 = 0.74
[0.82 𝑀] [0.54 𝑀]

Since, Q < K, the reaction proceeded forward until it reached

equilibrium.
Example 8: The K value for the reaction N2(g) + 3H2(g) ⇌ 2NH3(g) at 472°C is 0.105.
Suppose a mixture of 2.00 mol of H2, 1.00 mol of N2 and 2.00 mol of NH3
is placed on a sealed 1.00-L container. Is the reaction already in
equilibrium?
For more examples with answers involving equilibrium constant, kindly visit the
following links below:
- https://chem.libretexts.org/Bookshelves/Physical_and_Theoretical_Chemistry
_Textbook_Maps/Supplemental_Modules_(Physical_and_Theoretical_Chemi
stry)/Equilibria/Chemical_Equilibria/Calculating_An_Equilibrium_Concentratio
ns/Writing_Equilibrium_Constant_Expressions_Involving_Gases/Meaning_Of
_The_Equilibrium_Constant%2C_K

- https://www.khanacademy.org/science/chemistry/chemical-
equilibrium/equilibrium-constant/a/the-equilibrium-constant-k

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 PERFORMANCE TASK
PART I: Equilibrium Constant Activity
Directions: Perform the Equilibrium Constant Activity and answer the following
questions. Show your complete solution for the computation part in your answer sheet.
Equilibrium Constant Activity
The reaction of sulfur dioxide with oxygen in the atmosphere to form sulfur
trioxide has environmental implications because SO3 combines with moisture to form
sulfuric acid droplets, a component of acid rain. At 600°C, the following data were
collected from two experiments involving the reaction between gaseous sulfur dioxide
and oxygen to form gaseous sulfur trioxide: 2SO2(g) + O2(g) ⇌ 2SO3(g)

Initial Equilibrium
[SO2] = 2.00 M [SO2] = 1.50 M
Experiment I [O2] = 1.50 M [O2] = 1.25 M
[SO3] = 3.00 M [SO3] = 3.50 M
[SO2] = 0.500 M [SO2] = 0.590 M
Experiment II [O2] = 0 [O2] = 0.045 M
[SO3] = 0.350 M [SO3] = 0.260 M

The law of mass action predicts that the value of K should be the same for both
experiments. Verify this by calculating the equilibrium constant observed for each
experiment.
Questions:

1. Do you have the same value for K for both experiments?

2. What is the importance of knowing the value K?

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PART II: Essay

Directions: Read the selection below and do what is asked.

Marine organisms breathe oxygen and give off CO2 just like land plants and
animals. The ocean is great at absorbing greenhouse CO2 from the atmosphere. Aside
from the CO2 emitted by marine organisms through respiration, the ocean also absorbs
one-quarter of the CO2 that we humans create when we burn fossil fuels. If not for the
ocean, we had been in even worse trouble with too much CO2. This may seem a good
thing, but it is not. Unfortunately, as the ocean absorbs more CO2 from the
atmosphere, it becomes more acidic as shown by the chemical reaction below.
CO2(g) + H2O(l) ⇌ H2CO3(aq)
More CO2 shifts the equilibrium towards producing more carbonic acid, H 2CO3.
The low temperature in the colder regions of the globe also favors dissolution.
Ocean acidification is quite complex. Phytoplankton cannot survive acidic
conditions. Organisms that depend on plankton for food will also be affected.
Acidification can also lead to coral bleaching and destruction. Moreover, calcium
carbonate which makes up the shells of marine organisms is soluble in acidic
conditions.
Despite all these, note that the dissolution of CO2 in water is a reversible
process. Thus, reducing the amount of CO2 in the air should reverse and minimize its
adverse effect.
With that in mind, what can you contribute as a SHS student to reduce the
adverse effects of too much CO2? Make a short essay and choose an appropriate
picture for this. You may draw/ cut from an old magazine/ copy from the internet for
the picture.