Determination of an Equilibrium Constant

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OBJECTIVE:

To determine the equilibrium constant for the following reaction:

Fe3+(aq) + SCN-(aq) -----> Fe(SCN)2+(aq)

BACKGROUND:

In this experiment, the equilibrium constant, K, for the above reaction is given by the expression:

K = [FeSCN 2+]

[Fe 3+][SCN 1-]

where the concentrations of the substances are those at equilibrium. The equilibrium concentrations of these substances will be determined and used to determine K.

Since the reactants are essentially colorless, whereas the complex ion product is deeply colored, a spectrophotometer will be used to determine the maximum absorbance due to the FeSCN2+at its four different concentrations. Beer's Law states that the absorbance of a colored solution is directly proportional to the concentration of the absorbing species. In this experiment, the FeSCN2+ is the absorbing species. The formula for Beer's Law is A = kc where A is the absorbance of the solution, k is the Beer's Law constant and c represents the concentration of the absorbing species. To make easier to calculate the equilibrium concentration of FeSCN2+, the concentration vs. absorbance is plotted on the graph. Then the formula of Beer's Law is C = kA. To make the constant k more significant number, the concentration values will be used in mmol/L.

The experiment will be done in two parts. In the first part the value of the Beer's Law constant, k, will be determined and in the second part, the Beer's Law constant and the absorbance will be used to determine the equilibrium concentration of FeSCN2+. After the equilibrium concentration of Fe(SCN)2+ will be measured by way of the absorbance, the concen...

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...sed, the equilibrium absorbance increased. The value of K is much larger than 1, so the equilibrium is said to lie to the right. The reaction is exothermic, heat is a product; the concentrations of the products are much greater than the concentrations of the reactants. The equilibrium constant is determined to be 188. This value was the same in the mixture 2 and 3. In the first mixture the K is much larger - 200, while the mixture 4 and 5 are 185 and 182. Because a balance, equilibrium constant exists when the ratio of product concentrations to reactant concentrations does not change through further reaction, there is an error in the experiment. The K values are not precise. Only two of them have the same number. The error could be done by a temperature change that is the only form of stress to an equilibrium system that changes the value of the equilibrium constant.

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