At 700 K the decomposition of sulfur trioxide occurs according to the balanced…
CHEMISTRY · Multi-part · A Level · Chemistry · Chemical equilibria (Le Chatelier’s principle and Kc) · Chemical equilibria (Le Chatelier’s principle and Kc)
Problem
At 700 K the decomposition of sulfur trioxide occurs according to the balanced equation
2 SO₃(g) ⇌ 2 SO₂(g) + O₂(g)
A rigid 2.00 L reaction vessel at this temperature contains an equilibrium mixture whose measured molar concentrations are listed below.
SO₃: 0.120 M
SO₂: 0.350 M
O₂: 0.175 M
Use the information provided to analyze the equilibrium system.
(a) Calculate the numerical value of the equilibrium constant Kc for this reaction at 700 K, including the correct units or stating that the constant is dimensionless as appropriate.
(b) Explain what the magnitude of your calculated Kc indicates about the relative stability of reactants and products at 700 K. In your explanation, predict qualitatively how the composition of the system would change if a sample initially containing only SO₃(g) were allowed to reach equilibrium at the same temperature.