Important Examples of Chemical Equilibrium

Important examples of chemical equilibrium systems include (1) the Haber process for the manufacture of ammonia from hydrogen gas and nitrogen gas, (2) the ionization of weak electrolytes in water, and (3) the ionization and dissolution of ionic solids in saturated solutions. 

In the Haber process, hydrogen gas and nitrogen gas are brought together at a relatively high temperature and pressure and in the presence of a catalyst in a closed container. The chemical equilibrium that occurs is expressed as follows  

Here nitrogen and hydrogen in the same container react to give ammonia, but the reverse reaction also occurs and the reaction reaches a point where the 

Examples of weak electrolytes are the carboxylic acids, such as acetic acid (HC2H3O2), and some bases, such as ammonium hydroxide (NH4OH). When these chemicals are introduced into water, they partially ionize, meaning that some fraction of the molecules or formula units split apart into ions. This occurs at the same time and at the same rate as the ions are coming together to form the un-ionized molecules or formula units. They are therefore examples of chemical equilibrium The reactions for this are written as follows  

Both of these examples of equilibrium are very important in real-world analytical laboratories. Solutions of weak electrolytes are used to control the acidity of solutions in laboratory analyses. Such solutions are known as buffer solutions. 

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