Which statement describes a reversible reaction at equilibrium?

1. The activation energy of the forward reaction must equal the activation energy of the reverse reaction.

2. The rate of the forward reaction must equal the rate of the reverse reaction.

3. The concentration of the reactants must equal the concentration of the products.

4. The potential energy of the reactants must equal the potential energy of the products.

When a reaction has reached Equilibrium, the rate of the forward reaction is equal to that of the backward reaction.

Answered by ciara1996 | 2024-06-10

Reversible reaction is defined as the reaction in which the products formed react together to give the reactants back. For general reversible chemical equation:
a A + b B ⇌ c C + d D
At equilibrium, the rate of forward reaction is equal to the rate of backward reaction.
Rate of forward reaction: k [ A ] a [ B ] b
Rate of backward reaction: k [ C ] c [ D ] d
At equilibrium, k [ A ] a [ B ] b = k [ C ] c [ D ] d
Thus, the correct answer is Option 2.

Answered by RomeliaThurston | 2024-06-12

The correct answer is Option 2: the rate of the forward reaction must equal the rate of the reverse reaction. In a reversible reaction at equilibrium, reactants and products are interchanging at equal rates, maintaining constant concentrations without requiring them to be equal. Other statements about energy or concentrations do not accurately describe the nature of equilibrium.
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Answered by RomeliaThurston | 2024-10-13