Question

The water-gas shift reaction is important in several chemical processes, such as the

production of H₂ for fuel cells. This reaction can be written as follows:
H₂(g) + CO₂(g) → H₂O(g) + CO(g)

with K = 0.106 at 700 K. If a mixture of gases that initially contains 0.632 M CO2 and 0.570
M H₂ is allowed to equilibrate at 700 K, what is the final concentrations of CO?

Answer 1

To solve this problem, we can use the equilibrium constant expression for the water-gas shift reaction:

K = [CO][H2O] / [CO2][H2]

where [CO], [H2O], [CO2], and [H2] are the equilibrium concentrations of the respective species.

We are given the value of K and the initial concentrations of CO2 and H2. We can use these values to solve for the equilibrium concentration of CO.

First, we need to set up the equilibrium constant expression:

K = [CO][H2O] / [CO2][H2]

We are given that K = 0.106 and [CO2] = 0.632 M. We can substitute these values into the equation:

0.106 = [CO][H2O] / (0.632 M)(0.570 M)

We can then solve for [CO] by multiplying both sides of the equation by (0.632 M)(0.570 M) and rearranging:

[CO] = (0.106)(0.632 M)(0.570 M) / (0.632 M)(0.570 M)

[CO] = 0.106

Thus, the final concentration of CO is 0.106 M.