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Topic: Temperature and equilibrium constants  (Read 3638 times)

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msdel

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Temperature and equilibrium constants
« on: July 18, 2005, 04:45:19 PM »
Why is it necessary to specify the temperature when giving a value for Ke?

My thoughts, though they may be way off...

The concentration of solids and liquids do not change at constant temperature, hence they are not included in the equation for Ke.

Some guidance would be great! Thanks

Offline Donaldson Tan

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Re:Temperature and equilibrium constants
« Reply #1 on: July 18, 2005, 04:59:56 PM »
Ka is a temperature-dependent constant.

In fact, Ka is ratio of the forward rate constant to the backward rate constant.

Moreover, the rate constants (backward and forward) are exponential function of temperature, according to the Arrhenius Equation.

Hence, you must always specify the equilibrium constant with the corresponding temperature.
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