Achieve #5.35

[305769107]

Can someone please explain how to solve this problem? I was not able to attach the graph, but it is 5.35 in the textbook. Thanks!

The following plot shows how the partial pressures of reactant and products vary with time for the decomposition of compound A into compounds B and C. All three compounds are gases. Use this plot to do the following: (a) Write a balanced chemical equation for the reaction. (b) Calculate the equilibrium constant for the reaction.

[Chem_Mod]

First, see that the axes are partial pressure on the y axis and time on the x axis. The initial values at t=0 tell us initial partial pressures of the components, and the value that they stabilize at are the equilibrium partial pressures. You can see that Component A goes from 27.5 to 17.5 P/kPa (-10), Component B goes from 0 to 5 P/kPa (+5), and Component C goes from 0 to 10 P/kPa (+10). This can be represented by a reaction with the stoichiometry 2A 1B + 2C. K can then be solved by plugging in the equilibrium partial pressure values raised to the stoichiometries of the species as normal after dividing each partial pressure value by 100 Pa.