Equilibrium: balance between rate, safety, environment and economics
I can describe how various factors influence the reaction conditions for industrial equilibria, and understand the trade-offs between production rate, equilibrium position, safety, and cost.
Equilibrium: balance between rate, safety, environment and economics
I can describe how various factors influence the reaction conditions for industrial equilibria, and understand the trade-offs between production rate, equilibrium position, safety, and cost.
These resources will be removed by end of Summer Term 2025.
Lesson details
Key learning points
- Industrial equilibria involve a trade-off between production rate and equilibrium position.
- Temperature, pressure, surface area, concentration, and catalysts impact rates and equilibrium, often in opposing ways.
- High pressures and temperatures boost reaction rates but must balance safety and cost.
- High pressures are costly and increase equipment failure risk.
- Low temperatures slow reactions but can favour desired product in exothermic reactions.
Keywords
Equilibrium position - refers to the relative concentrations of reactants and products in a reversible reaction at equilibrium.
Dynamic equilibrium - occurs in a closed system when the forward and reverse reactions of a reversible chemical reaction are occurring at the same rate; and the concentrations of reactants and products remain constant.
Reaction rate - is the speed with which a chemical reaction takes place, measured by the amount of a reactant used or amount of product formed in a given time.
Haber process - an industrial method for producing ammonia.
Contact process - an industrial method for producing sulfuric acid.
Common misconception
Higher temperature/pressure always increases the yield of products in equilibrium reactions.
High temperature can decrease yield in exothermic reactions by shifting equilibrium toward reactants; high pressures can decrease yield where there are fewer gaseous moles of reactants than products.
Equipment
None required.
Licence
This content is © Oak National Academy Limited (2024), licensed on Open Government Licence version 3.0 except where otherwise stated. See Oak's terms & conditions (Collection 2).
Lesson video
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Starter quiz
6 Questions
Exit quiz
6 Questions
At equilibrium, the relative concentrations of reactants and products.
Forward and reverse reactions occur at the same rate.
Speed at which a chemical reaction takes place.
Industrial method for producing sulfuric acid.
Industrial method for producing ammonia.