Four chemistry students are discussing the equilibrium below at

CHEMISTRY · Multi-part · AP · Chemistry · Thermodynamics and Electrochemistry · Thermodynamics and Electrochemistry

Problem

Four chemistry students are discussing the equilibrium below at 298 K298\,\text{K}. NO2(g)⇌N2O4(g)\mathrm{NO_2(g)} \rightleftharpoons \mathrm{N_2O_4(g)} Each student makes a claim relating the standard free-energy change, ΔG∘\Delta G^\circ, to the equilibrium constant, KK, for the reaction. Student 1: “Because ΔG∘\Delta G^\circ is negative, KK must be greater than 1.” Student 2: “If KK is close to 1, ΔG∘\Delta G^\circ cannot have a large magnitude.” Student 3: “A positive ΔG∘\Delta G^\circ implies that the products are favored at equilibrium.” Student 4: “If the magnitude of ΔG∘\Delta G^\circ is much larger than RTRT, the equilibrium will lie almost completely toward either reactants or products.” (1) Part 1: Identify each student statement that is correct. Justify your selections with chemical reasoning tied specifically to the relationship between ΔG∘\Delta G^\circ and KK. (2) Part 2: For every statement you identified as incorrect, provide a corrected version and explain the conceptual error the student made.

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