Polido, Rubyann Robelle L.

BCTU1- 5L Group #5

Date performed: April 27, 2011 Date submitted: May 2, 2011

CHEMICAL EQUILIBRIUM I. Introduction In the course of a student taking up a chemistry subject, one would encounter several chemical reactions. Inevitably, a student would be asked to calculate the amount of products formed from a reaction, assuming that the reaction itself has undergone completion. In the light of this thought, it is actually a fact that most reactions do not go to completion. Instead, the reactants and products go through a state of equilibrium, on which they will both find their places in a system, meaning they are both present. After a certain amount of time, the reaction will halt before actual completion, and it would seem to appear that the reaction is a mixture of the reactants and the products. One good example of this concept is the acquisition of N2O4 to form NO2, or brown gas (Brown et al, 2004). The concept explained previously is called chemical equilibrium. It is generally a condition wherein the reactants and the products in closed system cease to change with time. *It+ occurs when opposing reactions are proceeding at equal rates: The rate at which the products are formed from the reactants equals the rate at which the reactants are formed from the products (Brown et al, 2004). In this exercise, one would also incorporate Le Chaeliers principle, the concept which explains the behavior and shift of reactions when subjected to varying changes such as change in temperature, pressure, and concentration of one of the components (Padolina et al, 2004; Brown et al, 2004). The specific objectives of this exercise are: 1. to determine how different factors affect the system in chemical equilibrium; and 2. to explain the effect of these factors in terms of the Le Chateliers principle. II. Materials A. Reagents 0.02 M solutions of KSCN, Fe(NO3)3, and NaH2PO4 6M and 12M solutions of HCl COCl2 solution B. Apparatus and Equipment Beakers Dropper Fumehood Hot plate Rubber stopper

Ice KSCN crystals Solid NaNO2

Stirring rod Syringe Test tubes White background

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Procedure A. Effect of Concentration In testing the effect of concentration in chemical equilibrium, 5mL of 0.02 M KSCN and 5 mL of water were mixed; 2 to 4 drops of 0.02 M Fe(NO3)3 were then added to the previous solution. The solution was thoroughly stirred. Observations were noted. Now, the prepared solution was divided into four setups and placed into separate test tubes. The first was used as reference for comparison. A small crystal of KSCN was added to the second test tube, one drop of 0.02M of Fe(NO3)3 to the third, and 0.02 M of NaH2PO4 to the fourth one. Observations were recorded. B. Effect of Pressure Under the fumehood, nitrogen dioxide (NO2) was generated by placing a pinch of NaNO2 in a test tube and adding 3 to 4 drops of 6M HCl. Upon the production of NO2, ,a syringe was used to draw about 10 cc of brown gas. The syringe was then fitted and pressed against the rubber stopper. The plunger was quickly pushed to the 5cc mark and the pressure was maintained for 5 seconds. A white background was placed behind the syringe to take note of the color changes that occur within a few seconds in the system. C. Effect of Temperature A solution of CoCl2 and 12M HCl was prepared. About 0.5 mL of this solution was placed to each of three test tubes. One test tube was placed in a hot-water bath and another test tube in an ice-water bath. The remaining test tube was used a control. The test tubes were allowed to stand for 5 minutes; afterwards, the setups were observed and compared. The test tube from hot-water bath was transferred to the ice-water bath and vice-versa. Both setups were allowed to stand for 5 minutes. Observations were recorded. Data and Observations Table 4.1. Observations on the color change of the formed solution *(1) upon addition of KSCN, Fe(NO3)3, and NaH2PO4. Sample Observation (1) H2O+ 0.02M KSCN+ 0.02M Fe(NO3)3 The color of the solution turned orange (2) Solution 1 + KSCN crystal The color turned deep orange (3) Solution 1 + 0.02 Fe(NO3)3 The color turned deep red (4) Solution 1 + 0.02 M NaH2PO4 The color turned yellow Table 4.2. Observations on the color change of brown gas upon acquisition. Set-up Initial color Immediately after pushing into plunger Few seconds later Observation The gas produced was dark brown in color The color turned light yellow The color turned lighter yellow

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Table 4.3. Observations on the solution of CoCl2 and HCl in hot and ice-water bath. Set-up Observation CoCl2 + 12 M HCl solution The color formed was pink CoCl2 + 12 M HCl solution in ice-water bath The color remained pink CoCl2 + 12 M HCl solution in hot-water bath The color formed was violet

Table 4.4. Observations on the solutions transferred from hot-water bath to ice-water bath and viceversa. Set-up Observation CoCl2 + 12 M HCl solution in hot-water bath to From violet, the solution turned pink ice-water bath CoCl2 + 12 M HCl solution in ice-water bath to From pink, the solution turned violet hot-water bath V. Discussion A. For the observation on the effect of concentration in chemical equilibrium, Fe(NO3)3 was allowed to react with KSCN solution. The following reaction then took place: (1) Fe3+(aq) + SCN-(aq) FeSCN2+ (aq) From the reaction above, the color of the solution formed was orange. After the formed solution was placed into four separate setups, variation in colors of the solution was seen. The solution in the second test tube wherein KSCN crystal was added turned into deep orange. If we are to consider the reaction quotient (Q) or the extent of a chemical reaction, the reaction that occurred can be conveyed as follows:

From the first reaction (1), it has to be accounted that it already reached equilibrium. Now, increasing the amount of SCN- would mean a decrease in the value of Q. From this we can infer that when Q is less than Keq, the reaction must proceed toward the production of more products. Thus, the addition of more SCN- to the equilibrium system of Fe3+, ,SCN-, and FeSCN2+ will make the system shift toward more production of until Q again becomes equal to Keq. The same thing will 3+ happen if more Fe , rather than SCN , is added to the system. Conversely, the addition of SCNexhibited a solution characterized by a deep orange in color and the addition of Fe 3+ a deep red in color. On the other hand, the addition of NaH2PO4 made the color of the solution to turn yellow. It is to be noted that neither Fe3+ nor SCN- was added to the system. The following net ionic reaction actually took place: (2) Fe3+(aq) + H2PO4-(aq) Fe(H2PO4)2+ (aq) The resulting less intense color is attributed to the characteristic color of the reaction itself. Just like in the previous reaction, it can be said that increasing the amount of H2PO4- meant an increase in the production of Fe(H2PO4)2+, and not on the production of . Hence, the solution turned to its characteristic color. The observations from the two prior reactions are based on Le Chateliers principle. It states that if a change in conditions is imposed on a system at equilibrium, the equilibrium position will shift in the direction that tends to reduce the effects of that change (Padolina et al, 2004). In the same sense, the system that achieved equilibrium will adapt to the changes being applied to it. One of such change in condition is the change in concentration. In terms of the principle, increasing the concentration paved way into decreasing the amount of Q which resulted into a system adapting to

the change; as a consequence, the system shifted towards the production of more products which possess distinct colors. B. For the observation on the effect of pressure in chemical equilibrium, N2O4 gas was acquired to produce NO2, or brown gas. The reaction that took place was: N2O4(g) 2NO2 (g) No of moles: 1 mole 2 moles (less gaseous molecules) (more gaseous molecules) From the experiment, as the brown gas was being drawn into the syringe, the initial color of the gas produced became dark brown in color. Apparently, there is a decrease in pressure and an increase in volume as this was being done. Decreasing the pressure resulted in a shift of the reaction toward the right side which has a greater volume (there are two moles of NO2 gas and only 1 mole of N2O4 gas). As a result, there was an increase in the NO2 concentration. Thus explaining the transition from brown to dark brown in color. Conversely, if the pressure exerted increases, the volume decreases. This would result to the shift of the reaction toward the left side which has a less volume, the N2O4 gas. If this was the case, from dark brown, the color will slowly be less intense, thus the color yellow. If allowed to stand still for few seconds, the system will appear lighter yellow as it has already adapted to the change. Indeed, change in pressure significantly affects gaseous molecules in a system (Padolina et al, 2004). C. For the observation on the effect of changing temperature in chemical equilibrium, it was observed that CoCl2 + 12 M HCl solution in ice-water bath remained pink in color. This was the reverse reaction thats why the heat needed for the reaction to take place is now released, favoring the backward reaction. On the other hand, the CoCl2 + 12 M HCl solution in hot-water bath turned blue in color. This was observed because, if heat is added to a system which is already in equilibrium, the heat itself will be used for the forward reaction to take place. Hence, the solution turned blue. In transferring the test tubes in ice-water bath to hot-water bath and vice-versa, the same is true in acquiring and releasing heat and turning toward forward and back reactions, respectively. Hence, the CoCl2 + 12 M HCl solution in ice-water bath turned blue and the CoCl2 + 12 M HCl solution in hot-water bath turned pink (Padolina et al, 2004). Based on Le Chateliers principle, the system in equilibrium adapted to the change in temperature by either driving the reaction forward, if the solution is heated, or backward, if the solution is cooled. D. For the effect of catalysts in chemical equilibrium, according to Brown e al (2004), a catalyst lowers the activation barrier between the reactants and products. The activation energy of the forward reaction is lowered to the same extent as that for the reverse reaction. The catalyst thereby increases the rates of both the forward and reverse reactions. Therefore, the time needed for chemical equilibrium to be reached is less than when a catalyst is present, but the composition of the mixture does not actually change.

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Conclusion Different changes in the system which has achieved chemical equilibrium are affected by concentration, pressure (and its relation to volume), temperature and presence of a catalyst. These changes are evident in the color changes exhibited by the reactions in the experiment. Changes in concentration and pressure alter the equilibrium position but not the equilibrium constant (Keq). Temperature, on the contrary, affects both the equilibrium position and the value of the Keq. Chemical equilibrium and the factors that affect its system are explained then by the concept of Le Chateliers principle.

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Literature Cited Padolina, M.A.D. et al (2004). Conceptual and Functional Chemistry. Vibal Publishing House, Inc. Brown, T.L.B., Lemay, H.E. & Bursten, B.E. (2004) Chemistry: The Central Science. Pearson Education Inc.