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205150314
Posts: 106
Joined: Wed Feb 20, 2019 12:16 am

Why is it that when we add reactions together we multiply the K's ?

Jasmine Fendi 1D
Posts: 108
Joined: Sat Aug 24, 2019 12:15 am

I think that is just part of the formula, but I was also wondering the same thing.

Isha_Maniyar_Dis2E
Posts: 110
Joined: Thu Jul 11, 2019 12:16 am

It's a similar concept as determining the formula for K.

For example, if you have Br2Cl2 --> Br2 + Cl2, you would write K as:

K = [Br2][Cl2] / [Br2Cl2]

Even though you're adding Br2 and Cl2 in the reaction, you multiply them in K. So, adding translates to multiplying when calculating K.

Hope this helped!

andrewcj 2C
Posts: 102
Joined: Thu Jul 11, 2019 12:17 am

When adding chemical equations, the reactants stay reactants and the products stay products. Therefore, in the combined equation, all reactants would be in the denominator and would be multiplied together. A similar logic can be applied to the products for the numerator. This is equivalent to multiplying the 2 equilibrium constants of each reaction together, assuming combined reaction takes place in an environment with a constant temperature.

CosetteBackus_4F
Posts: 23
Joined: Wed Feb 20, 2019 12:18 am