Consider the following chemical reaction: 2H2(g) + O2(g) ⇌ 2H2O(g)At a certain temperature and pressure, the partial pressures of H2, O2, and H2O are found to be 0.20 atm, 0.10 atm, and 0.80 atm, respectively. Calculate the reaction quotient (Qc) for this reaction at this temperature and pressure. Is the system at equilibrium? If not, in which direction will the reaction proceed to attain equilibrium?

Question

Consider the following chemical reaction: 2H2(g) + O2(g) ⇌ 2H2O(g)At a certain temperature and pressure, the partial pressures of H2, O2, and H2O are found to be 0.20 atm, 0.10 atm, and 0.80 atm, respectively. Calculate the reaction quotient (Qc) for this reaction at this temperature and pressure. Is the system at equilibrium? If n

Answer 1

To calculate the reaction quotient  Qc  for this reaction, we use the expression:Qc = [H2O]^2 /  [H2]^2 * [O2] where the brackets represent the partial pressures of the respective gases. Plugging in the given values:Qc =  0.80 ^2 /   0.20 ^2 *  0.10  Qc = 0.64 /  0.04 * 0.10 Qc = 0.64 / 0.004Qc = 160Now, we need to compare Qc to the equilibrium constant  Kc  to determine if the system is at equilibrium or not. If Qc = Kc, the system is at equilibrium. If Qc > Kc, the reaction will proceed in the reverse direction  from right to left  to reach equilibrium. If Qc < Kc, the reaction will proceed in the forward direction  from left to right  to reach equilibrium.However, we are not given the value of Kc in this problem. Therefore, we cannot determine if the system is at equilibrium or in which direction the reaction will proceed to attain equilibrium.