Exercise 4 (Chemical Equilibrium)

This lab focused on the concept of equilibrium and how it can be shifted either

to the left or to the right by adding or removing parts of the equation. Chemical

equilibrium can be understood as when the forward reaction is equal to the reverse

reaction. The goal of the experiment was to visualize this equilibrium by observing

color change, and determining what color changes mean in terms of the reaction and

equilibrium of the reaction.

Equilibrium is able to be understood through Le Chatelier’s principle, which

states that a system at equilibrium will stay at equilibrium. The concept can be better

understood by realizing that the system will balance the equilibrium when another

chemical or substance is added to it. When the system reaches equilibrium, it will

not come out of it. Equilibrium is represented by a double arrow between the

reactants and products, meaning that the formation of reactants and products is

constant.

During the lab, there were many substances that were added to systems to

observe the equilibrium. When the substances are added, the system is interrupted,

so the equilibrium is shifted to one side of the reaction, which depends on the

substance that is added. The principle states that when the system is changed, the

chemicals within the system will work together to keep the equilibrium constant and

balance the system once again. Observing changes within the system is observing

the system shift to one side of the reaction, then coming back to equilibrium once

again. It was helpful to observe the reaction, as visualizing what is taught in lecture

helps with understanding of the material

 Chemical reactions are processes that occur when groups of atoms reorganize to

form new types of substances. These groups of atoms are the reactants while the

substances that were formed are the products. Chemical reactions establish a kind of

equilibrium called the chemical equilibrium.

Chemical equilibrium is state here the concentration of all reactants and

products remain constant with time. This state is generally referred to as equilibrium

state.

Studies have shown that reactions reach equilibrium at a characteristic and

predictable point. These characteristics are dynamic situation, balance and definite

mathematical relationship.

Dynamic situation happens when both the forward and backward reactions

continue to occur even though it occurs static externally. It is when a reaction

appears to have stopped because the amounts of reactants and products remains

constant but the forward and reverse reactions still continue to take place. Balance is

when the rate of formation of the products (forward reaction) and the rate of

consumption of it to form the reactants (reverse reaction) are just equal. Definite

mathematical relationship means that the balanced chemical equation of the reaction

represented by the general equation,

aA + bB … arrow cC + dD + …

with capital letters denoting chemical names and lower case letter representing

molar coefficients, can be directly connected to the law of mass action.

 The law of mass action, which is also called the ideal law of chemical

equilibrium, is represented by the equation:

Keq = .....

Where: keq = equilibrium constant

[A]… = molar concentration

If a reaction is at equilibrium and this reaction is altered to attain a new

equilibrium state, then the composition of the system will change until the new

equilibrium state is attained. In 1884, the French chemical engineer and

teacher Henri Le Chatelier showed that the new equilibrium state is the one that

decreases the effect of the change that brought it about. The Le Chatelier's principle

states that if a system at equilibrium is subjected to a change of pressure,

temperature and concentration, there will be a tendency for a net reaction to go in

the direction that reduces the effect of this change (Lower, n.d.)

The objectives of this exercise were:

1. To determine how different factors affect a system in

chemical equilibrium; and

2. To explain the effect of these factors in terms of the Le

Chatelier’s principle.

II. MATERIALS

A. Reagents
 5 mL 0.02 M KSCN

5 mL H20

1 drop 0.02 M Fe(NO3)3

Small crystal of KSCN

2 drops 0.02 M NaH2PO4

NaNO2

3-4 drops 6 M HCl

Solution of CoCl2 in 12 M HCl

B. Apparatus

Test tube

Stirring rod

Dropper

Syringe

Rubber stopper

Centrifuge tubes

250 mL and 400 mL Beaker

Hot plate

III. Procedure
A. Effect of Concentration

A measure of 5.00 mL of 0.02M KSCN and 5.00 mL of water was put

into a test tube. Then, four drops of 0.02M Fe(NO3)3 solution was added

into the test tube. The solution was then stirred using a stirring rod. After

stirring, the solution was divided into four marked test tubes. The first test

tube was set as the controlled one that ill be the reference for comparison. A

small crystal of KSCN was added to the second test tube. To the third test

tube, one drop of 0.02M Fe(NO3)3 was added. Lastly, two drops of 0.02M

NaH2PO4 was added to the fourth test tube. The solutions inside the four

marked test tubes were observed and the observations made are recorded.

B. Effect of Pressure

A pinch of NaNO2 was placed in a test tube. Next, four drops of 6 M

HCl were added. 10 cc of brown gas was drawn into a syringe that fitted

tightly with the test tube was used to prevent the escape of gas. A white

background was placed behind the syringe and it was then fitted into a

rubber stopper also to prevent the escape of gas. Afterwards, the plunger

was quickly pushed down to about 5 cc. The pressure was maintained for

5 seconds. Then, the color changes that occurred were observed and

recorded.

C. Effect of Temperature

About 0.5 mL of the prepared solution of CoCl2 in 12M HCl was

 placed to each of the three test tubes. One test tube was placed in a hot-

water bath and another one was placed in an ice-water bath. The

remaining test tube was used as the controlled set-up. After 5 minutes,

the three test tubes were observed and compared, the observations were

then recorded. The test tube from the hot-water bath was transferred to

the ice-water bath and vice versa. These set-up was maintained for 5

minutes then observations were again made and recorded.

IV. Data and Observations

V. Discussion
A. Effect of Concentration

In part A of the exercise, the applied stress on the solution containing

5.00 mL of 0.02M KSCN, 5.00 mL of water, and four drops of Fe(NO3)3

was the change in concentration. The net ionic equation involved in the

reaction between KSCN and Fe(NO3)3 was Fe3+(aq) + SCN- double arrow

FeSCN2+(aq). The original color of the solution formed was red. Upon

adding a crystal of KSCN, the color became darker red. When Fe(NO3)3

was added the color became deep red. And when NaH2PO4 was added, the

color lightened, it became light orange. Based on the results, when a

reactant is added the color of the solution become more and more darker

than the original solution. These implies that as you increase the

concentration of the reactant, the reaction will shift to the right favoring the

forward reaction that results to the formation of more products (City

Collegiate, 2001-2014). While upon adding the NaH2PO4, the color

lightened. This was because H2PO4- reacts with Fe 3+ to produce a

colorless complex ion Fe(H2PO4) 2+. Although, the resulting solution

having a color of pale yellow can be explained by Le Chatelier’s principle.

According to it, net chemical change will occur to partially reinstate the

original concentration of the product. The shift in equilibrium was towards

the reactant side, thus, favoring the reverse reaction (Gammon, 1999). The

reaction shifting towards the reactant side means that NaH2PO4 was from

the product side since an increase in the concentration of the product will

increase the concentration of the reactant side and decrease the

 concentration of the product side to maintain equilibrium.

B. Effect of Pressure

In part B, the stress applied on the chemical equilibrium of a solution

containing NaNO2 and HCl was the change in pressure. The balanced

chemical equation involved in part B2 was 3NaNO2(aq) + 3HCl(aq) arrow

3NaCl(aq) + HNO3(aq) +2NO(g) + H2O(l). The color of the gas before

pushing in the plunger was brown. Then, immediately after pushing in the

plunger, the color became dark brown. A few seconds later, the dark brown

gas became colorless. The results of this experiment can be explained using

Le Chatelier’s principle. When the plunger was pushed down, the volume

of the gas decreased causing the pressure to increase because, according to

Boyle’s law, pressure and volume are inversely proportional. Because of the

decrease in the partial pressure of the gas, the concentration of the products

and reactants also changed, therefore the system is no longer in the

equilibrium. To regain the equilibrium of the system, the reaction should

shift towards the side with less moles of gas. Immediately after pushing in

the plunger, the system should shift back to the reactant side rather than

shifting to the product side since the one having less moles of gas was the

reactant side but due to the stress applied, the system shifted, at first, to the

side having more moles of gas (product side), hence, the color changing to

dark brown, then, after reestablishing equilibrium the system shifted

towards the side having less moles of gas (reactant side), hence, the color

changing back to colorless. The equilibrium shifted to the left (away from
 the product).

C. Effect of Temperature

In part C, the applied stress on the solution of CoCl2 in 12M HCl was

temperature. The net ionic equation for the reaction was, ______ The color of

the controlled set-up was violet. When the solution was placed in a hot-water

bath, the color became dark blue. When the solution was placed in a cold-water

bath, the color became pink. An increase in temperature always shifts the

equilibrium in the direction of the endothermic reaction, while a temperature

decrease shifts the equilibrium in the direction of the exothermic reaction (The

McGraw-Hill Companies, 2001). Therefore, the formation of blue colored

solution exhibits an exothermic reaction because the heat applied is high

therefore it favored the backward reaction, the formation of _____ which is a

blue substance. While the formation of _____, a pink substance is an

endothermic process where the temperature was lowered that’s why the forward

reaction was favored.

VI. Conclusion
 According to Le Chatelier’s Principle, “If a change in conditions (a

“stress”) is imposed on a system at equilibrium, the equilibrium position will

shift in a direction that tend to reduce the change in conditions (Jim Clark, 2002.

Modified April 2013). There are three factors that affect a system on

equilibrium: 1.) Change in Concentration; 2.) Change in Pressure; and 3.)

Change in Temperature. If a gaseous reactant or product is added to a system at

equil., the system will shift away from the added component. If the energy is

added, the equilibrium will shift to the direction which consumes the added

energy.

Le Chatelier’s Principle. Jim Clark 2002 (modified April 2013). Retrieved February

22, 2016 from http://www.chemguide.co.uk/physical/equilibria/lechatelier.html

Boyle’s Law. BoylesLaw.html version 2.1. David N. Blauch (2000-2014 ). Retrieved

February 22, 2016 from http://www.chm.davidson.edu/vce/gaslaws/boyleslaw.html

Brown, LeMay, and Bursten. (2000). Chemistry: The central science: laboratory

experiments, eighth edition. London, UK: Prentice-Hall International.