Equilibrium Reactions or Opposed Reactions
A pair of forward and reverse reactions may define an equilibrium process. For example, A and B react into X and Y and vice versa (s, t, u, and v are the stoichiometric coefficients):
The reaction rate expression for the above reactions (assuming each one is elementary) can be expressed as:
where: k1 is the rate coefficient for the reaction that consumes A and B; k2 is the rate coefficient for the backwards reaction, which consumes X and Y and produces A and B.
The constants k1 and k2 are related to the equilibrium coefficient for the reaction (K) by the following relationship (set r=0 in balance):
Read more about this topic: Rate Equation
Famous quotes containing the words equilibrium, reactions and/or opposed:
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—Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803–1882)
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“Let us guard against saying that death is opposed to life. The living is merely a species of the dead, and a very rare species.”
—Friedrich Nietzsche (1844–1900)