Question

For the reaction (SO₂(g) + NO₂(g) rightarrow NO(g) + SO₃(g)), (K_eq = 10.8). A sample of this gas mixture was analyzed and found to contain (0.9 M) NO, (1.7 M) SO(₃), (0.07 M) SO(₂), and (1.3 M) NO(₂). Is the system at equilibrium? If so, explain why. If not, which way will it shift to reach equilibrium?

a) Yes, the system is at equilibrium.

b) No, it is not at equilibrium; it will shift to the left.

Answer 1

The system is not at equilibrium and will shift to the left to reach equilibrium.

Step-by-step explanation:

To determine if the system is at equilibrium, we need to calculate the reaction quotient (Q) using the given concentrations of the gases and compare it to the equilibrium constant (K_eq). The reaction quotient is calculated by dividing the product of the concentrations of the products by the product of the concentrations of the reactants, each raised to their respective stoichiometric coefficients.

Using the given concentrations, the reaction quotient (Q) is calculated as follows:

Q = ([NO][SO₃])/([SO₂][NO₂]) = (1.3 M * 1.7 M) / (0.07 M * 0.9 M) = 31.71

Since Q (31.71) is not equal to K_eq (10.8), the system is not at equilibrium. To reach equilibrium, the system will shift to reduce the value of Q and reach the value of K_eq. In this case, since Q is greater than K_eq, the reaction will shift to the left (towards the reactants) to decrease the concentrations of NO and SO₃ and increase the concentrations of SO₂ and NO₂.