Final answer:
An equilibrium constant (K) greater than 1 indicates a greater concentration of products than reactants at equilibrium. The color change towards brown as the reaction reaches equilibrium suggests that Kp is greater than the initial Q.
Step-by-step explanation:
When considering the equilibrium mixture for a chemical reaction, the relative concentrations of reactants and products are predicted by the equilibrium constant (K). An equilibrium constant greater than 1, such as K = 888, implies that at equilibrium, the concentration of products is greater than the concentration of reactants.
The reaction quotient at the start of the reaction (Q) can indicate which direction the reaction will proceed to reach equilibrium. If the mixture becomes more brown as it reaches equilibrium, this would suggest that the reaction is producing more of the brown substance, likely a product, indicating that the equilibrium constant (Kp) is greater than Q at the start.
If the temperature is increased, the concentration of reactants and products at equilibrium depends on the reaction's endothermic or exothermic nature. For endothermic reactions, an increase in temperature shifts the equilibrium to favor the formation of products. Conversely, for exothermic reactions, it shifts towards the reactants.
The longer equilibrium arrow pointing to the acid-base pair that exists in a higher concentration at equilibrium illustrates which side of the reaction is favored.
By strategy, the value of K can indicate the likely composition of the equilibrium mixture, whether it will contain primarily reactants, primarily products, or appreciable amounts of both. For example, if K is very small (10-3), the equilibrium mixture will consist essentially of reactants.