Reaction Quotient Less than or Greater than 1 [ENDORSED]

[704578485]

I was doing the practice modules on chemical equilibrium and one question asks what happens when Q>1 and when Q<1. Can't you not really tell though unless you know K. I know that if Q>1 the products are favored in the reaction but that does not necessarily mean the reaction will shift to the left to form more reactant.

[Chem_Mod]

if Q<1 or Q>1 then certainly you know something about the ratio of products to reactants. But without comparing to K, there's no knowing which way it will shift or proceed.

[Bilal Ismail Ahmed 3G]

What exactly would be the difference between Q and K? Is K just a specific value for Q?

[Katherine_Zhuo_3B]

Q is the reaction quotient, which measures which direction a reaction will proceed given the initial partial pressures or concentrations. K is the equilibrium constant, which is a ration of products to reactants that does not change for the same reactions under the same conditions.