CHAPTER-7

EQUILIBRIUM

 Equilibrium state- When rate of formation of a product in a process is in

competition with rate of formation of reactants, the state is then named as
“Equilibrium state” .
 Equilibrium in physical processes: solid ⇌ liquid ⇌ gas
H2O(s )⇌ H2O(l) ⇌ H2O(vap)
 Law of chemical equilibrium: At a given temperature, the product
ofconcentrations of the reaction productsraised to the respective
stoichiometriccoefficient in the balanced chemicalequation divided by the
product ofconcentrations of the reactants raised totheir individual
stoichiometric coefficientshas a constant value. This is known asthe
Equilibrium Law or Law of ChemicalEquilibrium.
aA +bB⇌cC + dD
Kc =[C]c [D]d/[A]a [B]b

Chemical equation Equilibriumconstant

aA + b B⇌c C + D K
cC + d D⇌a A + b B K′c=(1/Kc)
na A + nb B ⇌ncC + ndD K′″c= (Kcn)
Concentrations or partial pressure of pure solids orliquids do notappear in the
expression of the equilibriumconstant. In the reaction,
Ag2O(s) + 2HNO3(aq) ⇌2AgNO3(aq) +H2O(l)
 If Qc >Kc, the reaction will proceed in thedirection of reactants (reverse
reaction).If Qc <Kc, the reaction will proceed in thedirection of the products
(forward reaction)
 Kp is equilibrium constant in terms of partial pressure of gaseous reactants and
products.
 Kc is equilibrium constant in terms of molar concentration of gaseous
reactants and products.
 Kp =Kc (RT)∆n here R is gas constant, T is temperature at which the
process is carried out &∆n is no. of moles of gaseous product minus no. of
moles of gaseous reactants.
 If Kc> 103; Kc is very high i.e. the reaction proceeds nearly to completion.
 If Kc<103; Kc is very small i.e. the reaction proceeds rarely.
 If Kcis ranging in the range of 103 to 10-3; i.e. reactants and products are just
in equilibrium.
 ΔG0 = – RT lnK or ΔG0 = – 2.303RT log K
 Factors affecting equilibrium constant:- temperature, pressure, catalyst and
molar concentration of reactants and products.
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  Le Chatelier’s principle:- It states that a change in any of the factors
thatdetermine the equilibrium conditions of asystem will cause the system
to changein such a manner so as to reduce or tocounteract the effect of the
change.

 Arrhenius acids are the substances that ionize in water to form H+.
 Arrhenius bases are the substances that ionize in water to form OH-.
 Lewis acids are lone pair (of e-) accepters while Lewis bases are lone pair
donators.
 Proton donor are acids while proton accepters are bases(Bronsted-Lowry
concept).
 The acid-base pair thatdiffers only by one proton is called a conjugateacid-
base pair. IfBrönsted acid is a strong acid then itsconjugate base is a weak
base and viceversa.
 Ionic product of water.Kw = [H+][OH–]
 pH = -log [H+] ; here[H+] is molar concentration of hydrogen ion.
 pH + pOH =14
 pKa + pKb =14
 Ka x Kb = Kw = ionic product of water=1 x 10-14

 Buffer solution :The solutions which resist change in pH on dilution or with

the addition of small amounts of acid or alkali are called Buffer Solutions.
 common ion effect: It can be defined as a shift in equilibrium on adding a
substance that provides more of an ionic species already present in the
dissociation equilibrium.
 Hydrolysis of Salts: process of interaction between water andcations/anions or
both of salts is calledhydrolysis.
 The cations (e.g., Na+, K+,Ca2+, Ba2+, etc.) of strong bases and anions(e.g., Cl–,
Br–, NO3–, ClO4– etc.) of strong acids simply get hydrated but do not
hydrolyse, andtherefore the solutions of salts formed fromstrong acids and
bases are neutral i.e., theirpH is 7.
 Salts of weak acid and strong base e.g.,CH3COONa are basic in nature.
 Salts of strong acid and weak base e.g.,NH4Cl, are acidic
 Salts of weak acid and weak base, e.g.,CH3COONH4. The pH is determined by
the formula pH = 7 + ½ (pKa – pKb)
 Solubility product- product of the molar concentrations of the ions in a
saturated solution, each concentration term raised to the power equal to the no.
of ions produced.

ONE MARK QUESTIONS

Q.1. Mention the factors that affect equilibrium constant.

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Ans. Temperature, pressure, catalyst and molar concentration of reactants and
products.
Q.2. Whatis ionic products of water?
Ans. Kw = [H+] [OH-]

Q.3. Write conjugate acids of H2O & NH3.

Ans. H3O+& NH4+.

Q.4. Define Arrhenius acids.

Ans. Arrhenius acids are the substances that ionize in water to form H+.

Q.5. Define the term degree of ionization.

Ans.Extent up to which an acid/base/salt ionize to form ions.

Q.6. What are Buffer solutions?

Ans.The solutions which resist change in pH on dilution or with the addition of small
amounts of acid or alkali are called Buffer Solutions.

Q.7. Write Kc for the gaseous reaction- N2 + 3H2⇌ 2NH3

Ans. Kc=[NH3]2/[N2] [H2]3

Q.8. Out of H2O & H3O+ which is stronger acid?

Ans. H3O+.

Q.9. What is common ion effect?

Ans. Shift in equilibrium on adding a substance that provides more of an ionic
species already present in the dissociation equilibrium.
Q.10. Write relationship between Kp and Kc for the gaseous reaction - N2 + O2 ⇌
2NO
Ans.Kp = Kc as∆n is zero for the above said reaction.

TWO MARKS QUESTIONS

1. What is effect of catalyst on equilibrium constant „Kc‟?

Ans . A catalyst does not affect equilibrium constant because it speeds up
both forward and backward reactions to the same extent.
2. State Le Chatelier‟r principle.
Ans.It states that a change in any of the factors thatdetermine the equilibrium
conditions of asystem will cause the system to changein such a manner so as to
reduce or tocounteract the effect of the change.
3. What is meant by conjugate acid –base pairs? Explain.
Ans:- H2O + HCl⇌H3O+ + Cl-
base acid conjugate acid conjugate base

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4. Classify the following bases as strong and weak bases: NaHCO3, NaOH,
KOH, Ca(OH)2, Mg(OH)2.
Ans:-strong base NaOH, KOH ; weak bases NaHCO3,Ca(OH)2, Mg(OH)2.
–3
5. The concentration of hydrogen ion in a sample of soft drink is 3.8 × 10 M.
What is its pH ?
Ans:-pH = – log[3.8 × 10–3]
= – {log[3.8] + log[10–3]}
= – {(0.58) + (– 3.0)} = – { – 2.42} = 2.42
Therefore, the pH of the soft drink is 2.42and it is acidic.
– –
6. The species: H2O, HCO3 , HSO4 and NH3can act both as Bronsted acids and
bases.For each case give the correspondingconjugate acid and conjugate base.
Ans:-

Species Conjugate acid Conjugate base

H2O H3O+ OH-
HCO3- H2CO3 CO32-
HSO4– H2SO4 SO42–
NH3 NH4+ NH2-

7. Explain Lewis acids and bases with suitable examples.

Ans:-Lewis acids are lone pair (of e-) accepters while Lewis bases are lone
pair donators.
AlCl3 is a Lewis acid while NH3 is a Lewis base.

8. What is difference between alkali and bases? Give examples.

Ans:- An alkali is a water soluble base. All the alkalis are bases but all the
bases are not alkali. Ex- NaOH is an alkali/base.
Ca(OH)2 is a base but not an alkali.
9. Explain homogeneous and heterogeneous equilibrium giving examples.
Ans:- If all the reactants and products present in an equilibrium mixture are in
same phase→homogeneous equilibrium.
If all the reactants and products present in an equilibrium mixture are in
different phase→ heterogeneous equilibrium.
N2 (g) + 3H2(g) ⇌2NH3(g) homogeneous equilibrium
CaCO3(s)⇌CaO(s) + CO2(g)heterogeneous equilibrium

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 THREE MARK QUESTIONS

1. The pH of some common substances is given bellow. Classify the

substances as acidic/basic
Name of fluid pH
Lime water 10
Milk of magnesia 10
Human saliva 6.4
Lemon juice 2.2
Sea water 7.8
Vinegar 3
milk 6.8
Ans.:- acidic-Human saliva, Lemon juice, milk, vinegar
Basic- Lime water, sea water, milk of magnesia.
2. Explain general characteristics of acids and bases.
Ans.:- Most of the acids taste sour.Acids are known to turn blue litmus paper
into red and liberate dihydrogen on reacting with some metals.
Bases are known to turn red litmus paper blue, tastebitter and feel soapy.
3. Water is amphoteric in nature. Explain.
Ans.:- Water can react with acid as well as base
H2O + HCl → H3O+ +Cl- water is basic
- +
H2O + NH3 → OH + NH4 water is acidic

4. Describe the effect of :

a) addition of H2
b) addition of CH3OH
c) removal of CO
d) removal of CH3OH
on the equilibrium of the reaction:
2H2(g) + CO (g )⇌CH3OH (g)

Ans.:- a) addition of H2 equilibrium will shift on RHS

b) addition of CH3OH equilibrium will shift on LHS
c) removal of CO equilibrium will shift on LHS
d) removal of CH3OH equilibrium will shift on RHS

5. Classify the following species into Lewisacids and Lewis bases and show
howthese act as such:
(a) HO– (b)F – (c) H+ (d) BCl3
Solution
(a) Hydroxyl ion is a Lewis base as it candonate an electron lone pair (:OH – ).
(b) Flouride ion acts as a Lewis base asit can donate any one of its fourelectron
lone pairs.

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(c) A proton is a Lewis acid as it canaccept a lone pair of electrons frombases
like hydroxyl ion and fluorideion.
(d) BCl3 acts as a Lewis acid as it canaccept a lone pair of electrons
fromspecies like ammonia or aminemolecules.

6. For the equilibrium,2NOCl(g) ⇌2NO(g) + Cl2(g)the value of the

equilibrium constant, Kcis 3.75 × 10–6 at 1069 K. Calculate the Kpfor the
reaction at this temperature?
Solution
We know that,Kp= Kc(RT)∆n
For the above reaction,∆n= (2+1) – 2 = 1
Kp= 3.75 ×10–6 (0.0831 × 1069)
Kp= 0.033.
7. Hydrolysis of sucrose gives,Sucrose + H2O →Glucose + Fructose
Equilibrium constant Kcfor the reaction is 2 ×1013 at 300K. Calculate ∆G0at
300K.
Solution
∆G0= – RT lnKc
∆G0= – 8.314J mol–1K–1J x 300K × ln(2×1013)
∆G0= – 7.64 ×104 J mol–1
8. Explain the following :
(i) Common ion effect (ii) solubility products (iii) pH
Ans. (i) Suppression of ionization of weak electrolyte by adding a strong
electrolyte having an ion common.
(ii) Product of the molar concentrations of the ions in a saturated solution,
each concentration term raised to the power equal to the no. of ions produced.
(iii) Negative logarithm of hydrogen ion concentration.
9. The values of Ksp of two sparingly solublesalts Ni(OH)2 and AgCN are 2.0
× 10–15and 6 × 10–17 respectively. Which salt ismore soluble? Explain.
Solution
AgCN⇌Ag+ + CN-
Ksp = [Ag+][CN–] = 6 × 10–17
Ni(OH)2⇌Ni2+ + 2OH–
Ksp = [Ni2+][OH–]2 = 2 × 10–15
Let [Ag+] = S1, then [CN-] = S1
Let [Ni2+] = S2, then [OH–] = 2S2
S12 = 6 × 10–17 , S1 = 7.8 × 10–9
(S2)(2S2)2 = 2 × 10–15, S2 = 0.58 × 10–4
Ni(OH)2 is more soluble than AgCN.

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 FIVE MARKS QUESTIONS

1. At 473 K, equilibrium constant Kcfor decomposition of phosphorus

pentachloride,PCl5 is 8.3 ×10-3. If decomposition is depicted as,

PCl5 (g) ⇌PCl3 (g) + Cl2 (g) ∆rH0= 124.0 kJ mol–1

a) Write an expression for Kcfor the reaction.
b) What is the value of Kcfor the reverse reaction at the same temperature?

c)what would be the effect on Kc if (i) more PCl5is added (ii) pressure is
increased(iii) the temperature is increased ?

Ans: (a) Kc=[PCl3][ Cl2]

[ PCl5]

(b)120.48
(c) (i) equilibrium will shift on RHS
(ii) equilibrium will shift on LHS
(iii) equilibrium will shift on RHS
2. Dihydrogen gas is obtained from natural gas by partial oxidation with steam
asper following endothermic reaction:CH4 (g) + H2O (g) ⇌CO (g) + 3H2 (g)
(a) Write as expression for Kpfor the above reaction.
(b) How will the values of Kpand composition of equilibrium mixture be
affectedby(i) increasing the pressure(ii) increasing the temperature(iii) using a
catalyst?
Ans. (a) Kp=p(CO).p(H2)3/ p(CH4).p(H2O)
(b)(i) value of Kp will not change, equilibrium will shift in backward
direction.
(ii) Value of Kp will increase and reaction will proceed in forward
direction.
(iii)no effect.
3. What is meant by the conjugate acid-base pair? Find the conjugate
acid/basefor the following species:HNO2, CN–, HClO4, F –, OH–, CO32–, and
S2–
Ans.The acid-base pair thatdiffers only by one proton is called a conjugate
acid-base pair

Species Conjugate
acid/base
HNO2 NO2–
CN– HCN
HClO4 ClO4–
F– HF
OH– H2O
CO32- HCO32-
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 S2– HS–
HOTS QUESTIONS

1. The value of Kcfor the reaction2A ⇌B + C is 2 × 10-3. At a given time,the

composition of reaction mixture is[A] = [B] = [C] = 3 × 10 -4 M. In
whichdirection the reaction will proceed?
Solution
For the reaction the reaction quotient Qcis given by,Qc = [B][C]/ [A]2
as [A] = [B] = [C] = 3 × 10–4M
Qc = (3 ×10–4)(3 × 10–4) / (3 ×10–4)2 = 1
asQc>Kcso the reaction will proceed inthe reverse direction.
2. PCl5, PCl3 and Cl2 are at equilibrium at500 K and having concentration 1.59M
PCl3, 1.59M Cl2 and 1.41 M PCl5. Calculate Kcfor the reaction,PCl5⇌PCl3 + Cl2
Solution
The equilibrium constant Kcfor the abovereaction can be written as,
Kc =[PCl3][ Cl2]
[ PCl5]
2
= (1.59) / 1.41 = 1.79
3. Why is ammonia termed as a base though it does not contain OH- ions?
Ans.ammona is termed as a base on the basis of Lewis concept it can donate a
lone pair of electrons.

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