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How is the value of the equilibrium constant useful?

Answer 1

The value of the equilibrium constant tells us the extent to which the reactants or products predominate in a system which is at equilibrium.

Consider a general case :

#aA+bBrightleftharpoonscC+dD#

The expression for the equilibrium constant in terms of concentration is:

#K_c=([C]^(c)[D]^(d))/([A]^(a)[B]^(b))#

You can see that if the position of equilibrium lies to the right then #[C]# and #[D]# will be large and [A] and [B] will be small giving a large value of #K_c#.

#K# only depends on temperature so this must always stated when quoting any values.

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Answer 2

Avery Adams

The value of the equilibrium constant provides information about the extent of a chemical reaction at equilibrium and helps predict the direction in which the reaction will proceed under different conditions. It is useful for determining the concentrations of reactants and products at equilibrium and for optimizing reaction conditions to achieve desired product yields. Additionally, the equilibrium constant allows for comparisons between different reactions and provides insight into the underlying chemical equilibrium principles.

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Answer from HIX Tutor

When evaluating a one-sided limit, you need to be careful when a quantity is approaching zero since its sign is different depending on which way it is approaching zero from. Let us look at some examples.