Equilibrium

[Nysa Lilani 1J]

Does a reaction being exothermic or endothermic influence the equilibrium constant?

[Andrea Liang 1I]

A reaction being exothermic or endothermic would affect the delta H value and therefore the spontaneity of the reaction. If the reaction is spontaneous, the forward reaction would be favored and K would be greater than 1. If the reaction is not spontaneous, then K would be less than 1. However, whether or not the reaction is spontaneous would still depend on the entropy and temperature according to the Gibbs Free Energy formula, so whether it is exothermic/endothermic does not guarantee a certain value for K.

[mehaksk]

An exothermic reaction, with a negative enthalpy change (ΔH<0), typically has a decreasing equilibrium constant (K) with increasing temperature. Conversely, an endothermic reaction, with a positive enthalpy change (ΔH>0), typically has an increasing equilibrium constant with increasing temperature.