Final answer:
The equilibrium constant expression, denoted as Kc, is used to represent the concentrations of reactants and products at equilibrium in a chemical reaction. It involves multiplying the concentrations of products and reactants together, placing them in the numerator and denominator respectively. The exponents in the expression correspond to the stoichiometric coefficients of each reactant and product in the balanced chemical equation.
Step-by-step explanation:
The equilibrium constant expression, denoted as Kc, is used to represent the concentrations of reactants and products at equilibrium in a chemical reaction. In this expression, the concentrations of products are multiplied together and placed in the numerator, while the concentrations of reactants are multiplied together and placed in the denominator.
The exponents in the expression correspond to the stoichiometric coefficients of each reactant and product in the balanced chemical equation.
For example, if the balanced chemical equation is 2A + 3B → C + 4D, then the equilibrium constant expression would be Kc = [C][D]^4 / [A]^2[B]^3. The exponents are based on the coefficients in the equation.
It is important to note that the equilibrium constant expression only includes species that are in the gas or aqueous phase. Solids, liquids, and solvents do not appear in the expression because their concentrations do not change significantly and do not affect the equilibrium constant value.