6th edition hw problem 11.31

[905084274]

for part c, how do you know if there is a tendency to form more reactants or more products...how does the Q value being less than K value affect his?

[Adam Vuilleumier 2K]

Like we said in class, the more stable side of the equation (R or P) will be the side that has a greater concentration at equilibrium. Therefore, if the equilibrium constant ([P]/[R]) is a large number, that means that there is a high concentration of product and the product is more stable. If K is a low value, this signals a high concentration of reactant.

[Philip Lee 1L]

The value of Q is very similar to the value of K. The difference between the two is that Q is the value of (product activities)/(reactant activities) at ANY stage of a reaction, not just at equilibrium. If Q is less than K, that means (products)/(reactants) at that stage is less than at equilibrium. Another way to think of this is that the amount of product at that stage is not enough to match the amount of reactant for the reaction to be at equilibrium. So, if Q is less than K, the reaction will proceed more towards the product side in an effort to reach equilibrium. The opposite occurs if Q is greater than K (reaction favors the reactant side). If Q = K, then the reaction is at equilibrium.