Question

The equilibrium constant for the gas phase reaction N2(g) + 3H2(g) <---> 2NH3(g) is Keq = 4.34x10^-3 at 300 degrees Celsius. At equilibrium

a) products predominate
b) roughly equal amounts of products and reactants are present
c) only products are present
d) only reactants are present
e) reactants predominate

Answer 1

At 300 degrees Celsius for the reaction N₂(g) + 3H₂(g) ↔ 2NH₃(g), the small equilibrium constant Keq of 4.34 x 10⁻³ indicates that reactants predominate at equilibrium, meaning that the system has a higher concentration of reactants compared to products.

Step-by-step explanation:

The equilibrium constant (Keq) for the reaction N₂(g) + 3H₂(g) ↔ 2NH₃(g) at 300 degrees Celsius is given as 4.34 x 10⁻³. A small Keq value in the context of this reaction suggests that, at equilibrium, the concentration of reactants: N₂ and H₂, is higher relative to the concentration of the product NH₃.

In terms of the given options, this means that at equilibrium for this reaction at 300 degrees Celsius, e) reactants predominate. The equilibrium lies towards the left side, favoring the reactants. This conclusion can be drawn because a small Keq implies that the numerator (representing product concentrations) is much smaller than the denominator (representing reactant concentrations) in the equilibrium expression.