SCIENCE STARTER – WEEK OF 3/7

• What do you think of when you hear the

word “EQUILIBIBRIUM”?

• What do you think is in equilibrium with

chemical reactions?
 SCIENCE STARTER – WEEK OF 3/7

• What do you think of when you hear the

word “EQUILIBIBRIUM”?
Equal, but what is equal?
• What do you think is in equilibrium with
chemical reactions?
 SCIENCE STARTER – WEEK OF 3/7
• What do you think of when you hear the
word “EQUILIBIBRIUM”?
Equal, but what is equal?
• What do you think is in equilibrium with
chemical reactions?
Amounts of Products and Reactants?
The rate at which products and reactants
form?
 REVERSIBLE REACTIONS

Reversible Reactions: one in which the conversion

of reactants to products and the conversion of
products to reactants occur simultaneously.
The double arrow tells you that the reaction is
reversible.

2 SO2(g) + O2(g) ⇄ 2 SO3(g)

Chemical Equilibrium: when the rates of the
forward and reverse reactions are equal, the
reaction has reached a state of balance.
At chemical equilibrium, no net change occurs in
the actual amounts of the components of the
system.
The relative concentrations of the reactants and
products at equilibrium constitute the
equilibrium position of a reaction.
Think of a 2-story mall with an escalator. You
have 100 people on the top floor and 50
people on the bottom floor. If 10 people want
to move to the top floor, how can this happen
while still keeping 100 people on the top and
50 people on the bottom?
You will have to have 10 people go down the
escalator at the same time as 10 people go up
the escalator.
People are moving at the same RATE!
 FACTORS AFFECTING EQUILIBRIUM:
LE CHÂTELIER’S PRINCIPLE

Le Châtelier’s Principle: If a stress is applied to a

system in dynamic equilibrium, the system
changes in a way that relieves the stress.
There are three factors that we will talk about that
can affect equilibrium.
CONCENTRATION
If you add more of a reactant, the reaction goes
toward the products.
If you take away some of a reactant, the reaction
goes toward the reactants.
If you add more of a product, the reaction goes
toward the reactants.
If you take away some of a product, the reaction
goes toward the products.
TEMPERATURE
If heat is a product and you add heat, the reaction
shifts toward the reactants.
If heat is a reactant and you add heat, the reaction
shifts toward the products.
If heat is a product and you take away heat, the
reaction shifts toward the products.
If heat is a reactant and you take away heat, the
reaction shifts toward the reactants.
PRESSURE – ONLY GASES!!
If you increase pressure, the reaction shifts
towards the side with less moles.
If you decrease pressure, the reaction shifts
towards the side with more moles.
VOLUME – ONLY GASES!!
If you increase volume, it is the same as
decreasing pressure, so the reaction shifts
towards the side with more moles.
If you decrease volume, it is the same as
increasing pressure, so the reaction shifts
towards the side with less moles.
Because it is the same as changing pressure, we
do not consider this to be a 4th factor.
CATALYSTS
Adding a catalyst has no effect on the equilibrium,
it will only help to reach equilibrium faster.
 REACTIONS TO COMPLETION
A reaction is considered to “go to completion”,
when almost all of the ions are removed from
the solution.
This depends on the solubility of the product
formed, and if it is soluble, then on its degree
of ionization.
 FORMATION OF A GAS

Gases are not very soluble, so when a gas is

formed and the reaction container is open to
the air, the gas will escape and the reaction
will go almost to completion.
 FORMATION OF A PRECIPITATE

If a product is insoluble (a precipitate), then when

the product forms, it cannot dissolve to allow the
reaction to go in the reverse direction.
NaCl(aq) + AgNO3(aq)  NaNO3(aq) + AgCl(s)
FORMATION OF A SLIGHTLY IONIZED
PRODUCT
This occurs with the neutralization reactions of
acids and bases.
HCl(aq) + NaOH(aq)
H3O+(aq) + Cl-(aq) + Na+(aq) + OH-(aq) 
Na+(aq) + Cl-(aq) + 2H2O(l)
H3O+(aq) + OH-(aq)  2H2O(l)
Water only slightly ionizes, so it exists as mainly
H2O molecules.
 SCIENCE STARTER
1. What is equal when you reach chemical
equilibrium?
2. If an exothermic reaction has reached
equilibrium, then increasing the temperature
will cause the reaction to shift to the .
3. What helps you reach equilibrium faster, but
does not actually change the equilibrium?
 SCIENCE STARTER
1. What is equal when you reach chemical
equilibrium? Reaction Rate
2. If an exothermic reaction has reached
equilibrium, then increasing the temperature
will cause the reaction to shift to the .
3. What helps you reach equilibrium faster, but
does not actually change the equilibrium?
 SCIENCE STARTER
1. What is equal when you reach chemical
equilibrium? Reaction Rate
2. If an exothermic reaction has reached
equilibrium, then increasing the temperature
will cause the reaction to shift to the left.
3. What helps you reach equilibrium faster, but
does not actually change the equilibrium?
 SCIENCE STARTER
1. What is equal when you reach chemical
equilibrium? Reaction Rate
2. If an exothermic reaction has reached
equilibrium, then increasing the temperature
will cause the reaction to shift to the left.
3. What helps you reach equilibrium faster, but
does not actually change the equilibrium?
A catalyst.
 EQUILIBRIUM EXPRESSIONS
Equilibrium Constant: Keq is the ratio of product
concentrations to reactant concentrations at
equilibrium.

nA + mB ⇄ xC + yD

Keq = [C]x [D]y

[A]n [B]m
 WRITE EQUILIBRIUM EXPRESSIONS:

K eq 
HI 
2

1. H2 + I2 ↔ 2HI H 2 I 2 
2. 2HgO ↔ 2Hg + O2 K eq 
 Hg  O2 
2

HgO 2
3. 2SO2 + O2 ↔ 2SO3 K eq 
SO3 
2

SO2 2 O2 
4. N2 + 3H2 ↔ 2NH3
K eq 
NH 3 
2

N 2 H 2 3
 EQUILIBRIUM CONSTANTS

To find an Equilibrium Constant, plug in the

concentrations of the reactants and products into
the equilibrium expression and solve!
Keq > 1, products favored at equilibrium
Keq < 1, reactants favored at equilibrium
Keq does not have any units.
 CALCULATING Keq
A liter of a gas mixture at equilibrium at 10°C
contains 0.0045 mol of N2O4 and 0.030 mol of
NO2. Write the expression for the equilibrium
constant and calculate Keq.
N2O4(g) ⇄ 2NO2(g)
Keq = [NO2]2 = (0.030 mol/L)2
[N2O4] = 0.0045 mol/L
Keq = 0.20
 CALCULATING Keq
An equilibrium mixture of N2, O2, and NO gases is
determined to consist of 6.4 mol/L of N2, 1.7
mol/L of O2, and 1.1 mol/L of NO. What is the
Keq for this system?
N2 + O2 ⇄ 2NO
Keq = [NO]2
[N2] x [O2]
Keq = (1.1)2
(6.4) x (1.7)
Keq = 0.11