Question

If a reaction has an equilibrium constant just greater than 1 what type of reaction is it?

a. irreversibleb. spontaneousc. reversible favoring productsd. reversible, favoring reactants

Answer 1

If a reaction has an equilibrium constant just greater than it is

• c. reversible favoring products

Step-by-step explanation:

An equilibrium reaction is one in which two reversible reactions compete.

Consider the general equilibrium aA + bB ⇄ cC + dD.

The equilibrium constant, Ke, for that equilibrium is given by the following equation:

`Ke=([C]^c[D]^d)/([A]^a[B]^b)`

When the forward reaction is favored means that the products on the right side of the equilibrium are favored. In other words, the concentration of the products are larger than the concentrations of the reactants.

Then, in the Ke equation, the product of the numerator is greater than the product of the denominator, and Ke > 1.

The fact that it is an equilibrium means that the reaction is reversible.

When Ke is very large you might consider that the reverse reaction is neglectible but this is not the case. The value just greater than 1 of the equilibrium constant confirms that the reaction is reversible.