Question

Solubility equilibrium: is dynamic equilibrium in a saturated solution between excess solute and aqueous solution(solvent) or between crystals and dissolved solute--> no it has to be crystals and solvent right becuase crystals are basically solute not dissolved yet?? Equilibrium is established once fwd rate = reverse reaction rate or when rate of crystallization = rate of dissolution. Initially when something dissolves the rate of dissolving is greater than crystallization as more ions dissolve into solution because water molecules collide with crystals….some crystals collide with dissolved solute and crystallize out of solution->> ok this was in my textbook I don’t understand what this has to do with equilibrium what does it mean by crystallize out of solution. When explaining this example NACL(s)--><----na^- + cl^- all you need to know is initially rate of dissolving is greater than crystallization because you start with reactants but as products concentration increases than the rate of crystallization increases until they are equal and so the amount of solid in solution does not change once equilibrium is established? precipitate only forms in supersaturated solution because fwd rxn of dissolving is too greatly favored and so solid forms increasingly?


in that paragraph the part which was in textbook said intialliy crystals collide with water molecules to form dissolved ions but crystals may also collide with dissolve ions to precipitate out of solution--> does this part have anything to do with equillibrium or is the textbook just showing what can happen when a substance dissolves and what does precipitating out of solution mean ?



in this paragraph I wrote could you point out what is correct and what is incorrect, thanks alot

Answer 1

I'm confused by the whole thing because I can't tell what you wrote, what you are asking, and what you copied from the text. To answer your last question, however, EVERYTHING, is an equilibrium process. You can even use equilibrium and Le Chatelier's Principle to explain why the number of tigers decrease when their food chain decreases.