Equilibrium

[Sonyfan08]

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BR gen chem (first 1/2): It says that regardless of the starting condition the equilibrium concentration will be the same if total pressure and temp are the same. Why is that?

For example: CO + H20 --> CO2 + H2
initial 1 M 1 M
final 0.57 0.57 0.43 0.43

inital 0 0 1 M 1 M
final 0.57 0.57 0.43 0.43

 

[loveoforganic]

Because that's the way thermodynamics works and it's the point of lowest energy? Not being snarky, sorry, might just need to phrase your question differently

 

[TheMightyBoosh]

Think about what equilibrium means. For a given reaction, you have reactants and products, and a constant (Keq) decides how how the concentrations of each will balance themselves out depending on their energies.

It's like what my German G-chem professor told me my freshman year in college... "K IS A CONSTANT!" (with a thick, commanding accent). So no matter where you start in the reaction (whether it be all products, or all reactants, or half-half), the reaction will always move to the same equilibrium concentrations of reactants and products.

It also might help you to re-read the introductory page in the BR Equilibrium chapter. The analogy they present helps to get a basic conceptual understanding of equilibrium.