A student place 7 moles of ammonia ( NH3) in 100ml flask with 50ml deionized water. At Equilibrium,0.2m ( NH4+) was found in a flask. What is the equilibrium constant (KC) for this reaction? What is the mole of ammonium ( NH4+) at the equilibrium?

1 answer

First, let's write the dissociation equilibrium reaction of ammonia (\(NH_3\)) in water:

\[ NH_3 (aq) + H_2O (l) \rightleftharpoons NH_4^+ (aq) + OH^- (aq) \]

Step 1: Calculate the equilibrium concentration of \(NH_4^+\)

The equilibrium concentration of \(NH_4^+\) is given as \(0.2 , m\) (molality). To convert this to molarity (\(M\)), we need to determine the volume of the solution after the ammonia and water are mixed.

  • The total volume of the solution is the sum of the volumes of the ammonia and the water: \[ \text{Total Volume} = 100 , \text{mL} + 50 , \text{mL} = 150 , \text{mL} = 0.150 , \text{L} \]

The molality is given in terms of moles per kg of solvent, so we need a little more information:

  • We have 50 mL of deionized water. The density of water is approximately \(1 , \text{g/mL}\), therefore: \[ \text{Mass of water} = 50 , \text{g} = 0.050 , \text{kg} \]

Using the molality: \[ \text{moles of } NH_4^+ = 0.2 , \text{m} \times 0.050 , \text{kg} = 0.01 , \text{moles} \]

Step 2: Calculate the equilibrium concentration of \(NH_4^+\)

Now, to find the molarity of \(NH_4^+\): \[ [\text{NH}_4^+] = \frac{0.01 , \text{moles}}{0.150 , \text{L}} = 0.0667 , M \]

Step 3: Set up the equilibrium expression

The equilibrium expression for the reaction can be written as:

\[ K_C = \frac{[NH_4^+][OH^-]}{[NH_3]} \]

Since \(NH_4^+\) and \(OH^-\) are produced in a 1:1 molar ratio, we assume that at equilibrium, the concentrations of \(NH_4^+\) and \(OH^-\) are equal, thus \( [OH^-] = [NH_4^+] = 0.067 , M\).

Step 4: Determine the concentration of \(NH_3\)

We started with 7 moles of \(NH_3\) in 0.150 L: \[ [NH_3]_{\text{initial}} = \frac{7 , \text{moles}}{0.150 , \text{L}} = 46.67 , M \]

At equilibrium, the change in concentration of \(NH_3\) is equal to the amount that reacted to form \(NH_4^+\) and \(OH^-\), which we calculated as \(0.067 , M\): \[ [NH_3]_{\text{equilibrium}} = 46.67 , M - 0.067 , M \approx 46.6 , M \]

Step 5: Calculate \(K_C\)

Substituting the values we have into the equilibrium expression:

\[ K_C = \frac{(0.0667)(0.067)}{46.6} \]

Calculating gives us:

\[ K_C = \frac{0.00449}{46.6} \approx 0.0000963 \text{ or } 9.63 \times 10^{-5} \]

Conclusion

  1. The equilibrium constant (\(K_C\)) for the reaction is \(9.63 \times 10^{-5}\).
  2. The moles of \(NH_4^+\) at equilibrium is \(0.01\) moles.