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Ch.15 - Chemical Equilibrium
Chapter 15, Problem 82

A 0.831-g sample of SO3 is placed in a 1.00-L container and heated to 1100 K. The SO3 decomposes to SO2 and O2: 2SO3(𝑔) β‡Œ 2 SO2(𝑔) + O2(𝑔) At equilibrium, the total pressure in the container is 1.300 atm. Find the values of 𝐾𝑝 and 𝐾𝑐 for this reaction at 1100 K.

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1
Calculate the initial moles of SO3 using its molar mass. Use the formula: moles = mass (g) / molar mass (g/mol).
Set up an ICE table (Initial, Change, Equilibrium) for the reaction: 2SO3(g) β‡Œ 2SO2(g) + O2(g). Assume x moles of SO3 decompose, then 2x moles of SO2 and x moles of O2 are formed.
Calculate the equilibrium partial pressures of SO3, SO2, and O2 using the ideal gas law (PV = nRT), where P is the partial pressure, n is the number of moles at equilibrium, R is the gas constant, and T is the temperature in Kelvin.
Use the equilibrium partial pressures to find the equilibrium constant Kp for the reaction. Apply the formula for Kp: Kp = (PSO2)2 * PO2 / (PSO3)2.
Convert Kp to Kc using the relationship Kc = Kp / (RT)Ξ”n, where Ξ”n is the change in moles of gas (products minus reactants) and T is the temperature in Kelvin.

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Key Concepts

Here are the essential concepts you must grasp in order to answer the question correctly.

Equilibrium Constant (Kp and Kc)

The equilibrium constant (K) quantifies the ratio of the concentrations of products to reactants at equilibrium for a given reaction. Kp is used when dealing with partial pressures of gases, while Kc is used for concentrations in molarity. For the reaction 2SO3(g) β‡Œ 2SO2(g) + O2(g), Kp can be calculated using the expression Kp = (P_SO2^2 * P_O2) / (P_SO3^2), where P represents the partial pressures of the gases involved.
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Decomposition Reaction

A decomposition reaction is a type of chemical reaction where a single compound breaks down into two or more simpler products. In this case, sulfur trioxide (SO3) decomposes into sulfur dioxide (SO2) and oxygen (O2). Understanding the stoichiometry of the reaction is crucial for calculating the equilibrium concentrations and subsequently the equilibrium constants.
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Ideal Gas Law

The Ideal Gas Law (PV = nRT) relates the pressure (P), volume (V), number of moles (n), the ideal gas constant (R), and temperature (T) of a gas. In this problem, the total pressure at equilibrium and the volume of the container are used to determine the number of moles of each gas present. This information is essential for calculating the equilibrium concentrations needed to find Kc.
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