The ChemCollective >> Tutorials>> Quantitative Equilibrium Calculations Tutorials - Shifting starting position to simplify calculations

Shifting starting position to simplify calculations

Quantitative calculations on chemical equilibrium systems often lead to rather tedious algebra involving cubic or high-order polynomial equations. Since all possible states of a chemical reaction (e.g., values of Q) lie along a continuum, we can simplify the algebra by first reasoning about the progress of reaction. This technique is even more powerful when combined with large K or small K assumptions covered in the next section.

These tutorials are part of a set of equilibrium materials developed with the Open Learning Initiative at Carnegie Mellon University. To access the entire course, please see http://oli.web.cmu.edu/jcourse/webui/guest/look.do?section=buffers.