For the reaction 2SO2(g) + O2(g) ⇌ 2SO3(g), if the concentration of SO2 is doubled, what happens to the equilibrium constant?
Practice Questions
1 question
Q1
For the reaction 2SO2(g) + O2(g) ⇌ 2SO3(g), if the concentration of SO2 is doubled, what happens to the equilibrium constant?
It doubles
It remains the same
It halves
It quadruples
The equilibrium constant Kc is only affected by temperature, not by changes in concentration.
Questions & Step-by-step Solutions
1 item
Q
Q: For the reaction 2SO2(g) + O2(g) ⇌ 2SO3(g), if the concentration of SO2 is doubled, what happens to the equilibrium constant?
Solution: The equilibrium constant Kc is only affected by temperature, not by changes in concentration.
Steps: 5
Step 1: Understand what the equilibrium constant (Kc) is. It is a number that tells us the ratio of the concentrations of products to reactants at equilibrium.
Step 2: Look at the reaction: 2SO2(g) + O2(g) ⇌ 2SO3(g). The equilibrium constant Kc is calculated using the concentrations of SO3 and SO2.
Step 3: Note that Kc is defined as Kc = [SO3]^2 / ([SO2]^2 * [O2]).
Step 4: Recognize that changing the concentration of SO2 (like doubling it) affects the concentrations of the reactants and products, but it does not change the value of Kc.
Step 5: Remember that Kc is only affected by temperature changes, not by changes in the concentrations of the reactants or products.
