Equilibrium concentrations

[Mia Glinn 1I]

Why are the concentrations of reactants and products not equal at equilibrium?

[Kevin Zhang 3K]

The K coefficient is rarely 1 so that means that it is rare for the concentration of products and reactants to be the same as the equilibrium constant indicates whether there are more product or reactant at equilibrium.

[Ashley Tonthat 2B]

Hello,

They can be equal at equilibrium, but the concentrations of reactant and product do not have to be equal at equilibrium. What's important is that the concentration of reactants and products don't change at equilibrium (meaning the rate of the forward reaction that makes product and the rate of the reverse reaction to make reactants are equal). If both concentrations of reactant and product are equal, this means that K=1, which is possible. But, equilibrium can have a K value of 10^3 or over or 10^-3 or less, meaning the concentration of reactants and products will not be the same. Hope this explanation helps.

[Anish_Marripati_2F]

When K is equal to 1, then the concentration of reactants and products are approximately equal. However, as Dr. Lavelle said in the lecture, K is very rarely 1. Instead, we have to look at it another way. Since the forward and reverse rates are equal, the concentrations of the reactants and products are constant at equilibrium. The concentrations are not equal, but rather constant.

[Emily Wan 1l]

At equilibrium, the concentrations of reactants and products are not necessarily the same. Rather, the concentrations of reactants and products remain constant with no net change over time, as the forward and reverse reactions are occurring at the same rate.

[Alena Zhu 2I]

The equilibrium concentrations of reactants and products depend on the stability of the molecules of reactants and products, and the stability are rarely the same. If the stability of the molecules on both sides of the reaction equation are the same, then K would equal 1 and there would be an equal concentration of reactants and products at equilibrium, but in most cases either the reactants or the products are more chemically stable, which results in the reaction favoring one side at equilbrium.

[Aaron Martinez]

Since K is a ratio, unless K is 1, the concentrations of products and reactants won't equal each other. The concentrations of both also don't need to be equal to each other in order for there to be an equilibrium.

[Rebecca Preusch 2C]

Equilibrium refers to the point where the rate of the forward reaction is equal to the rate of the reverse reaction. Because equilibrium is based on rates, it is very rare that the concentrations of reactants will equal the concentration of products at equilibrium.

[Anish_Marripati_2F]

No, the concentration of reactants and products are not necessarily equal in a dynamic equilibrium. Equilibrium occurs for a reversible reaction. Reversible means that as reactants bump into each other and become products, products eventually accumulate and bump into themselves, reacting to reform reactants. Equilibrium is reached when the system is no longer visibly changing.

[oliviahelou]

It is not the concentrations that are equal, but the ration of the product to reactant that will be equal at equilibrium.