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Tuesday, September 16, 2014

Chemical Equilibrium Theory, Part 6 - Heterogeneous Equilibria; Water-Soluble Gaseous Compounds

Greetings,

This post explains heterogeneous equilibria with a focus on chemical transformations across the aqueous solution/ gas phase boundary.

Heterogeneous equilibria are those occurring between different phases (states) of matter.  These equilibria generally take place at the barrier (aka, interface) between states.  Two very common gases involved with "interphase" equilibria are carbon dioxide and ammonia.  Both gases dissolve in water via chemical reactions.  In closed containers of water, the two gases are in a state of dynamic equilibrium with their dissolved form.  When the containers are opened the positions of the equilibria shift toward the gas compounds. The changes of position are continuous: You smell ammonia and see carbonation bubbles.  When the containers are closed again the dynamic equilibria are restored.

The following diagram depicts the equilibria of a closed bottle of soda.

The equilibria of ammonia are similar except that hydroxyl ion is formed; because ammonia is a Lewis Base (proton acceptor).

As always, thank you for reading!

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