Consider the following reaction and its equilibrium constant:
SO₂(g) + NO₂(g) ⇌ SO₃(g) + NO(g) K_c = 0.33
A reaction mixture contains 0.39 M SO₂,0.14 M NO₂,0.11 M SO₃ and 0.14 M NO.Which of the following statements is true concerning this system?

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The reaction mixture already contains a higher concentration of products (SO₃ and NO) compared to reactants (SO₂ and NO₂) than what would be present at equilibrium (based on the equilibrium constant). Therefore, the system will shift in the direction of products to reach equilibrium. This is reflected by the Le Chatelier's principle which states that a system at equilibrium will respond to any stress applied in such a way as to counteract that stress and re-establish equilibrium. As the stress in this case is already in the direction of products, the system will shift in that direction to counteract it and re-establish equilibrium. Therefore, option C is correct.

Consider the Following Reaction and Its Equilibrium Constant