Activity, Mass Action, and the Equilibrium Constant Flashcards
Define activity of a compound
the activity of a compound tells us how the free energy (or more correctly the chemical potential) of that compound varies with the progress of the reaction
What does it mean when K is less than 1?
o When K < 1 we say it “favors the reactants”
If we add two reactions, what happens to the equilibrium constant?
o If we add two reactions, the equilibrium constant for the total reaction is the product of the equilibrium constants for the two reactions we added together
What does it mean when K is greater than 1?
o When K > 1 we say a reaction “favors the products”
o For a reaction in which you double the stoichiometric coefficients, what happens to the K value?
o For a reaction in which you double the stoichiometric coefficients, the equilibrium constant is squared
When K is greater than or less than 1, we say the reaction favors the products?
greater than 1
When K is greater than or less than 1, we say the reaction favors the reactants?
less than 1
What is the mass action expression?
o The mass action expression for a reaction is effectively a ratio of the activities of the products and the reactants
How do you calculate K reverse?
o K reverse = 1/K forward
