Chemical Reactions

Kinetics and Thermodynamics

What is the equilibrium constant for a reaction?

Some reactions can go both in forward and reverse, while others can only go in one direction. For a reaction that can go both ways, the equilibrium constant describes the ratio of products to reactants. For the reaction:

The equilibrium constant would be:

For the reaction:

The equilibrium constant would be:

and for the reaction:

The equilibrium constant would be:

Reactions with a large equilibrium constant (Keq > 1) favor formation of the products, while reactions with a small equilibrium constant (Keq < 1)="" favor="" formation="" of="" the="">

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