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Chapter 17: Q17.99CP (page 780)

When ammonia is made industrially, the mixture of N2,H2, anddata-custom-editor="chemistry" NH3 that emerges from the reaction chamber is far from equilibrium. Why does the plant supervisor use reaction conditions that produce less than the maximum yield of ammonia?

Short Answer

Expert verified

Because ammonia develops slowly at low temperatures, the process is inefficient.

Step by step solution

01

Definition of equilibrium

Chemical equilibrium is the state in which no net change in the amounts of reactants and products occurs during a reversible chemical reaction.

02

Why does the plant supervisor use reaction conditions

The reaction is,

N2+3H2=2NH3.

If the temperature will increase, the position of the equilibrium will change to decrease the temperature. In the endothermic direction, the equilibrium will move. If the equilibrium shifts then the yield will decrease. But at low temperatures, the rate of the reaction is very low. Ammonia forms slowly at low temperatures, this results to the process being uneconomical.

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Most popular questions from this chapter

An engineer examining the oxidation of SO2 in the manufacture

of sulfuric acid determines thatKC=1.7×108at 600. K:

2SO2(g)+O2(g)⇌2SO3(g)

(a) At equilibrium,PSO3=300.atmandPO2=100.atm.CalculatePSO2

(b) The engineer places a mixture of 0.0040 mol of SO2(g) and 0.0028 mol of O2(g) in a 1.0-L container and raises the temperature to 1000 K. At equilibrium, 0.0020 mol of SO3(g) is present. Calculate Kc and for this reaction at 1000. K.

Predict the effect of decreasing the temperature on the amounts of reactants in the following reactions:

(a) C2H2(g)+H2O(g)⇌CH3CHO(g)ΔHrxn0=-151kj

(b) CH3CH2OH(I)+O2(g)⇌CH3CO2H(I)+HO2(g)ΔHrxn0=-451kj

(c) 2c2H4(g)+O2(g)⇌2CH3CHO(g)(exothermic) (d)N2O4⇌2NO2(g)(endothermic)

Question:Balance each of the following examples of heterogeneous

equilibria and write its reaction quotient, Qc:

(a)NaHCO3(s)֏Na2CO3(s)+CO2(g)+H2O(g)(b)SNO2(s)+H2(g)֏Sn(s)+H2O(g)(c)H2SO4(I)+SO3(g)֏H2S2O7(I)

The powerful chlorinating agent sulfuryl dichloride (SO2Cl2)can be prepared by the following two-step sequence:

H2S(g)+O2(g)→H2O(g)+SO2(g)

SO2(g)+Cl2(g)→SO2Cl2(g)

  1. Balance each step, and write the overall equation.
  2. Show that the overallQcequals the product of theQc's for the individual steps.

Consider the following reaction:

3Fe(s)+4H2O(g)⇌Fe3O4(s)+4H2(g)

(a) What is the apparent oxidation state of Fe in Fe3O4?

(b) Actually, Fe has two oxidation states in Fe3O4. What are they?

(c) At role="math" localid="1654929041124" 9000C, Kc for the reaction is 5.1. If 0.050 mol ofH2O(g) and 0.100 mol of Fe(s) are placed in a 1.0-L container at 9000C, how many grams of role="math" localid="1654929174865" Fe3O4are present at equilibrium?
See all solutions

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