Module 7

Module 7—Principles of Chemical Equilibrium

Lesson Summary

 

In Lesson 2 you considered the following questions:

• What is a reverse reaction and why is it important in an equilibrium system?
• What changes occur during dynamic equilibrium?

You learned that there are three types of equilibrium for chemical systems:

• Phase equilibrium: one chemical substance exists in more than one phase in a closed system.
  
  
• Solubility equilibrium: one solute and one solvent exist in a saturated solution that has an excess of solute in a closed system.
  
  
• Chemical reaction equilibrium: the reactants create products as fast as the products create reactants; in other words, the forward reaction is approximately equal to the reverse reaction.

Each of these types of equilibria is a dynamic equilibrium, meaning that microscopic changes occur in the system as described by forward and reverse reactions for the chemical components of the system. In this lesson you completed an investigation to test for the products of the reverse reaction. This investigation confirmed that this process occurs, even in conditions involving stoichiometric excess.

 

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