What’s the difference between the equilibrium expression & the equilibrium constant?
October 17th, 2008
For a general chemical reaction
aA + bB <-> cC + dD
the equilibrium constant can be defined by
K = [C]c[D]d / [A]a[A]a
It is conventional to put the activities of the products in the numerator and those of the reactants in the denominator. Stability constants, formation constants, binding constants, association constants and dissociation constants are all types of equilibrium constant.
In a chemical process, chemical equilibrium is the state in which the chemical activities or concentrations of the reactants and products have no net change over time. Usually, this would be the state that results when the forward chemical process proceeds at the same rate as their reverse reaction. The reaction rates of the forward and reverse reactions are generally not zero but, being equal, there are no net changes in any of the reactant or product concentrations. This process is called dynamic equilibrium
Entry Filed under: Equilibrium Chemistry
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