Chemical Equilibrium: K_c and Moles

Click For Summary

Homework Help Overview

The discussion revolves around a chemistry problem related to chemical equilibrium, specifically focusing on the reaction between ethanoic acid and ethanol to form ethyl ethanoate and water. Participants are exploring the concept of the equilibrium constant, K_c, and the relevance of moles versus concentrations in its determination.

Discussion Character

  • Conceptual clarification, Assumption checking

Approaches and Questions Raised

  • Participants are questioning the necessity of knowing concentrations versus moles for calculating K_c. There are attempts to articulate the idea of unit cancellation in the context of concentration calculations. Additionally, there are inquiries about the implications of a system remaining unchanged during the reaction.

Discussion Status

The discussion is ongoing, with participants providing insights and raising questions about the concepts involved. Some guidance has been offered regarding the cancellation of volume units in concentration calculations, but no consensus has been reached on the broader implications of the equilibrium constant.

Contextual Notes

Participants are navigating a homework problem with limited space for answers, which may influence their ability to express their reasoning fully. There is also an indication of uncertainty regarding the definitions and implications of the equilibrium constant in the context of the reaction.

recon
Messages
399
Reaction score
1
Chemistry is not one of my strong subjects, so please bear with me. Here's one of the questions we were given as homework, of which I'm having some trouble with. I'm sure it's pretty elementary, but the problem is that I'm unable to express the answer clearly enough.

Question:
The reaction of ethanoic acid with ethanol to form ethyl ethanoate and water is an example of dynamic equilibrium. It is catalysed by the presence of [tex]H^+[/tex] ions.

[tex]CH_3CO_2H(l) + C_2H_5OH(l) \rightleftharpoons CH_3CO_2C_2H_5(l) + H_2O(l)[/tex]

State why, in determining the value of [tex]K_c[/tex] for this reaction, it is only necessary to know the number of moles rather than the concentrations of each substance.

My answer (We are given only two lines of answering space):
EDIT: Deleted answer; it's severely wrong. I'll try and come up with a new one.
 
Last edited:
Physics news on Phys.org
Is there another way of expressing the following idea: "The units of volume in the concentration of the substances cancel each other out in the calculation for [tex]K_c[/tex]"?
 
Is there another way of expressing the following idea: "The units of volume in the concentration of the substances cancel each other out in the calculation for "?
that's one way to state it
 
For the reaction [tex]aA+bB\rightleftharpoons cC+dD[/tex]
K is calculated by
[tex]K=\frac{[C]^c[D]^d}{[A]^a<b>^b}</b>[/tex]

The capital letters within the brackets denote the molarities of the reagents in the reaction.

The reaction takes place within one system, Does the system change druing the reaction? And in case it doesn't what does that mean for the way you denote the concentrations of the reagents both on the left and on the right of the arrows?
 
Last edited:

Similar threads

  • · Replies 2 ·
Replies
2
Views
3K
  • · Replies 8 ·
Replies
8
Views
3K
Replies
15
Views
3K
  • · Replies 9 ·
Replies
9
Views
5K
Replies
7
Views
3K
  • · Replies 1 ·
Replies
1
Views
3K
Replies
2
Views
4K
  • · Replies 5 ·
Replies
5
Views
4K
  • · Replies 3 ·
Replies
3
Views
2K
  • · Replies 20 ·
Replies
20
Views
4K