|
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||
  |
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||
EQUILIBRIUM BASICS
Equilibrium is a pretty easy topic. Big name, but easy idea. First, when you have a system made up of a bunch of molecules, those molecules sometimes combine. That's the idea of a chemical reaction. Second, a chemical reaction sometimes starts at one point and moves to another. Now imagine the reaction finished and you have a pile of new chemicals. Guess what? Those chemicals want to go through a reverse chemical reaction and become the original molecules. We don't know why. Sometimes they just do.
Put those two ideas together and you have equilibrium. 1. Two reactants combine to make a product. 2. Products like to break apart and turn back into the reactants. 3. There is a point where those two reactions happen and you can't tell that any reactions are occurring. That point is when the overall reaction is happy. There is no pressure to do more of one thing or another. There are some other traits of equilibrium. Equilibrium always happens at the same point in the reaction no matter where you start. So if you start with all of substance A, it will break up and become B and C. Eventually, B and C will start combining to become A. Those reactions happen until they reach equilibrium. They reach equilibrium at the same point if you start with all B and C or half A and half B/C. It doesn't matter. There is one special point where the two reactions cancel each other out. IT HAPPENS ON ITS OWN
Another idea is that equilibrium is reached by itself with no outside forces acting on the system. If you put two substances in a mixture, they will combine and react by themselves. Eventually, they will reach equilibrium. Scientists say equilibrium happens through spontaneous processes. They happen on their own.
There is one last idea. Do you remember that some atoms and molecules have charges? A system "at equilibrium" appears to have no charge (neutral). All the pluses and minuses cancel each other out and give a total charge of "0". Scientists use the letter "K" to add up all of the actions and conditions in a reaction. That "K" is the equilibrium constant. 
|
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||
 
Go for site help or a list of chemistry topics at the site map!©copyright 1997-2007 Andrew Rader Studios, All rights reserved. Current Page: Chem4Kids.com | Reactions | Equilibrium |
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||