Learning Objectives
- Describe the relationship between Le Châtelier’s principle and the equilibrium constant.
How much is in savings this month?
With online banking, management of your personal finances can become less complicated in some ways. You can automatically deposit paychecks, pay bills, and designate how much goes into savings or other special accounts each month. If you want to maintain 10% of your bank account in savings, you can set up a program that moves money in and out of the account when you get a paycheck or pay bills. The amount of money in savings will change as the money comes in and out of the bank, but the ratio of savings to checking will always be constant.
LeChâtelier’s Principle and the Equilibrium Constant
Occasionally, when students apply LeChatelier’s principle to an equilibrium problem involving a change in concentration, they assume that Keq must change. This seems logical since we talk about “shifting” the equilibrium in one direction or the other. However, Keq is a constant, for a given equilibrium at a given temperature, so it must not change. Here is an example of how this works. Consider the simplified equilibrium below:
Let’s say we have a 1.0 liter container. At equilibrium the following amounts are measured.
The value of Keq is given by:
Now we will disturb the equilibrium by adding 0.50 mole of A to the mixture. The equilibrium will shift towards the right, forming more B. Immediately after the addition of A and before any response, we now have 1.0 mol of A and 1.0 mol of B. The equilibrium then shifts in the forward direction. We will introduce a variable (x), which will represent the change in concentrations as the reaction proceeds. Since the mole ratio of A : B is 1:1, as [A] decreases by the amount x, the [B] increases by the amount x. We set up an analysis called ICE, which stands for Initial, Change, and Equilibrium. The values in the table represent molar concentrations.
At the new equilibrium position, the values for and as a function of x can be set equal to the value of the Keq. Then, one can solve for x.
Solving for x:
This value for x is now plugged back in to the Equilibrium line of the table and the final concentrations of A and B after the reaction is calculated.
The value of Keq has been maintained since . This shows that even though a change in concentration of one of the substances in equilibrium causes a shift in the equilibrium position, the value of the equilibrium constant does not change.
Summary
- Maintenance of the constant Keq for a reaction is described.
Practice
Read the material at Chem Purdue and answer the following questions:
- What concentration units should be used?
- What quantities should you use for equilibrium problems?
- What must the change in each quantity agree with?
- What is “x”?
Review
- Does Keq change for a given reaction at a given temperature?
- What does ICE stand for?
- Will the equilibrium position change if materials are added to or removed from the reaction?
- How does addition or removal of materials affect the Keq?
Glossary
- Initial Change Equilibrium (ICE): A calculation that looks at the initial conditions, change, and new equilibrium in a reaction.