Reversible Reactions vs. Irreversible Reactions

[TanveerDhaliwal3G]

Should we be able to produce the graphs associated with each?

[Shrayes Raman]

Yes I think so. The Irreversible graph is always straight and the Reversible graph is curved starting at a higher pressure and with a negative slope

[Eugene Chung 3F]

I'm not sure but it wouldn't hurt to know! It's pretty easy because irreversible one would just have a straight horizontal line for y-axis because pressure would be constant. Reversible graph has larger surface area below the curve. The surface area represents work. Less work is done for irreversible reaction because it's done against constant external pressure whereas reversible one is in equ.

[Prasanna Padmanabham 4I]

I feel like it wouldn't hurt to know...there were a few graph questions on the 14A midterm and final last quarter...

[Maria Poblete 2C]

I don't think it would hurt to memorize, the reversible curve expresses a large change in pressure with a negative slope, and the irreversible curve is simply a straight horizontal line.

[Abigail_Hagen2G]

The reversible is curved and downscoping, and the irreversible graphs are straight. It shows how less work is done for the irreversible processes.

[sarahsalama2E]

I think it's important to understand the reason why a reversible graph employs the integral because the pressure is not constant so the area under the curve that needs to be found/solved as pressure changes infinitesimally while volume is simultaneously changing. The integrated area under the curve for a reversible reaction is a larger area than for a irreversible reaction because the work done against pressure is constant, so it is a straight line, therefore the area is less, and the work for an irreversible reaction is less.