0 votes
25 views
ago in Chemical kinetics by (139k points)
What is the effect of varying concentrations of reactants on the rate of a chemical reaction and how does this impact the equilibrium constant of the reaction?

1 Answer

0 votes
ago by (410 points)
The effect of varying concentrations of reactants on the rate of a chemical reaction can be described by the rate law, which is an equation that relates the rate of a reaction to the concentrations of the reactants. The rate law is typically expressed as:Rate = k[A]^m[B]^nwhere Rate is the rate of the reaction, k is the rate constant, [A] and [B] are the concentrations of the reactants, and m and n are the reaction orders with respect to reactants A and B, respectively. The reaction orders  m and n  are determined experimentally and can be positive, negative, or zero.As the concentrations of the reactants increase, the rate of the reaction generally increases as well, depending on the reaction orders. If the reaction order is positive, an increase in the concentration of the reactant will lead to an increase in the reaction rate. If the reaction order is negative, an increase in the concentration of the reactant will lead to a decrease in the reaction rate. If the reaction order is zero, the concentration of the reactant has no effect on the reaction rate.However, it is important to note that the equilibrium constant  K  of a reaction is not affected by the concentrations of the reactants. The equilibrium constant is a ratio of the concentrations of products to reactants raised to their respective stoichiometric coefficients when the reaction is at equilibrium. It is only dependent on the temperature and the nature of the reaction itself.Changing the concentrations of the reactants may affect the position of the equilibrium  i.e., shifting it towards the products or reactants , but it does not change the equilibrium constant. The system will adjust to the new concentrations by shifting the reaction in the direction that re-establishes the equilibrium constant value. This can be explained by Le Chatelier's principle, which states that if a system at equilibrium is subjected to a change in concentration, temperature, or pressure, the system will adjust to counteract the change and re-establish equilibrium.

Related questions

Welcome to Sarvan Science Q&A, where you can ask questions and receive answers from other members of the community.
...