In a reaction at equilibrium, what does the equilibrium constant (K) represent?

1 question

1 item

Q: In a reaction at equilibrium, what does the equilibrium constant (K) represent?

Solution: The equilibrium constant (K) is defined as the ratio of the concentrations of products to reactants at equilibrium.

Steps: 6

Step 1: Understand that a chemical reaction can reach a point where the amounts of reactants and products remain constant over time. This is called equilibrium.
Step 2: At equilibrium, the concentrations of the reactants and products do not change.
Step 3: The equilibrium constant (K) is a number that helps us understand the relationship between the concentrations of products and reactants at this point.
Step 4: K is calculated by taking the concentration of the products and dividing it by the concentration of the reactants.
Step 5: The formula for K looks like this: K = [Products] / [Reactants], where [ ] means concentration.
Step 6: A larger K value means there are more products than reactants at equilibrium, while a smaller K value means there are more reactants.