Reaction Equilibria

Chemical reactions proceed until they reach a dynamic equilibrium in which there are no net changes in the composition of the system. When the equilibrium concentrations are inserted into the mass action expression for the reaction, the value produced—the equilibrium constantEquilibrium constant—will characterize the system at the temperature of the reaction. The equilibrium constantEquilibrium constant is a function of temperature. If the values of the equilibrium constantEquilibrium constant are known at several temperatures, it is possible to generate estimates of thermodynamic functions (enthalpyEnthalpy, entropyEntropy, Gibbs free energyFree energy).