Question

"A student combines CO, O2, and CO2 gas in a container at the following concentrations:

CO2 = 0.7 M O2 = 2.1 M CO = 3.2 M
Is the reaction at equilibrium, if not which direction will it react to reach equilibrium?"
A. Yes
B. No, it will shift to the left.
C. No, it will shift to the right.
D. No, more information is needed to determine.

Answer 1

To assess if the given reaction is at equilibrium, we must compare the reaction quotient Q with the equilibrium constant K. Since O2 concentration is irrelevant to this reaction and given that we don't have K or the H2O concentration, more information is needed to determine the reaction direction. D. No, more information is needed to determine.

Step-by-step explanation:

To determine whether the reaction CO(g) + H2O(g) = CO2(g) + H2(g) is at equilibrium with the given concentrations of CO2 = 0.7 M, O2 = 2.1 M, and CO = 3.2 M, we must compare the reaction quotient, Q, to the equilibrium constant, K, for the reaction.

First, we calculate Q using the provided concentrations. If Q < K, the reaction will proceed to the right to form more products (CO2 and H2). If Q > K, the reaction will proceed to the left to form more reactants (CO and H2O). Without knowing the value of K, we cannot determine the direction at this stage.

However, a critical piece of information is that O2 isn't part of this reaction, so its concentration is irrelevant in determining the direction of reaction progress or equilibrium. Without additional information, such as the equilibrium constant K or the concentration of H2O, the question cannot be conclusively answered, which leads us to select 'D. No, more information is needed to determine' as the correct choice.