Question

Justify the statements: 

(a) Reactions with ΔG0 < 0 always have an equilibrium constant greater than 1. 

(b) Many thermodynamically feasible reactions do not occur under ordinary conditions. 

Answer 1

(a) –ΔG⁰ = RTlnK. Thus, if ΔG⁰ is less than zero, i.e., it is –ve and hence K will be greater than 1. 

(b) Under ordinary conditions, the average energy of the reactants may be less than the threshold energy. They require some activation energy to initiate the reaction.