What happens to the equilibrium constant when a reaction is reversed?
Practice Questions
Q1
What happens to the equilibrium constant when a reaction is reversed?
It remains the same
It doubles
It is inverted
It is halved
Questions & Step-by-Step Solutions
What happens to the equilibrium constant when a reaction is reversed?
Correct Answer: 1/K
Step 1: Understand what an equilibrium constant (K) is. It is a number that tells us the ratio of products to reactants at equilibrium for a chemical reaction.
Step 2: Consider a simple reaction: A ⇌ B, where K = [B]/[A]. This means K is the concentration of B divided by the concentration of A at equilibrium.
Step 3: Now, if we reverse the reaction, it becomes B ⇌ A. We need to find the new equilibrium constant for this reversed reaction.
Step 4: For the reversed reaction, the new equilibrium constant (K') is calculated as K' = [A]/[B].
Step 5: Notice that K' is the inverse of K. This means K' = 1/K.
Step 6: Therefore, when a reaction is reversed, the equilibrium constant is inverted.
