Law Of Mass Action

Overview

The Law of Mass Action states that the rate at which a chemical reaction proceeds is directly proportional to the product of the active masses (concentrations) of the reactants. This principle helps determine the composition of reacting substances and the products at equilibrium, leading to the formulation of the equilibrium constant expression, which is the ratio of the concentrations of products to reactants at equilibrium

Questions and Answers

  1. What does the Law of Mass Action state?

    The Law of Mass Action states that the rate at which a reaction proceeds is directly proportional to the product of the active masses of the reactants

  2. Who derived the Law of Mass Action?

    The Law of Mass Action was derived by C.M. Guldberg and R. Waage in 1864

  3. What is meant by "active mass" in the context of the Law of Mass Action?

    The term "active mass" represents the concentration in moles per cubic decimeter (mol dm-3 ) of the reactants and products for a dilute solution

  4. How is the equilibrium constant (K) related to the Law of Mass Action?

    The equilibrium constant (K) is derived from the Law of Mass Action and is the ratio of the concentrations of products to the concentrations of reactants at equilibrium

  5. What happens to the equilibrium position if the concentration of reactants is increased?

    Increasing the concentration of reactants will shift the equilibrium position to the right, favoring the formation of products

Multiple-Choice Questions

  1. Who derived the Law of Mass Action?

    a) J. Willard Gibbs
    b) C.M. Guldberg and R. Waage
    c) Svante Arrhenius
    d) Robert Boyle
    Answer: b) C.M. Guldberg and R. Waage

  2. What happens to the equilibrium position if the concentration of products is increased?

    a) It shifts to the left
    b) It shifts to the right
    c) It remains unchanged
    d) It shifts to the top
    Answer: a) It shifts to the left

  3. The Law of Mass Action applies to which type of reactions?

    a) Only irreversible reactions
    b) Only exothermic reactions
    c) Both reversible and irreversible reactions
    d) Only endothermic reactions
    Answer: c) Both reversible and irreversible reactions

  4. What is the relationship between the rate of a forward reaction and the concentrations of reactants according to the Law of Mass Action?

    a) The rate is inversely proportional
    b) The rate is directly proportional
    c) The rate is independent
    d) The rate is exponentially related
    Answer: b) The rate is directly proportional

  5. Which of the following statements is true regarding the equilibrium constant (K)?

    a) It is always equal to 1
    b) It varies with temperature
    c) It is independent of concentration
    d) It only applies to solid reactants
    Answer: b) It varies with temperature