Two flasks of the ammonia equilibrium are made at the same temperature and pressure…
Contributed by StemPy LabTry it on paper first. A hint, the key idea and the worked solution are here when you need them.
Two flasks of the ammonia equilibrium are made at the same temperature and pressure. One is made with hydrogen, the other with deuterium, D. The two mixtures are then joined. Explain why the total amounts of nitrogen, hydrogen and ammonia do not change, yet molecules such as soon appear. What does this show?
Need a reminder? The key ideaShow
At equilibrium in a closed system, the forward and backward processes go on at equal rates, so the concentrations stay constant. Equilibrium is dynamic, and the same mixture is reached from either side.
The worked solution
Have you tried it?
Work it out on paper first. It is fine to get stuck or make a mistake: that is how we learn. When you are ready, go through the solution one step at a time, and check each step against your own.
Step 1. The amounts. Both mixtures were already at equilibrium under the same conditions. Deuterium reacts almost exactly like hydrogen, so the joined mixture is also at equilibrium. The totals stay the same.
Step 2. The new molecules. Ammonia keeps breaking into nitrogen and hydrogen, and they keep forming ammonia again. When an molecule breaks up and forms again with a D atom, appears.
Step 3. The meaning. The reactions never stopped. They run in both directions at equal rates.
Answer: equilibrium is dynamic.
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