The equilibrium constant for the reaction of hydrogen gas and oxygen gas to produce water at 500 k is 2.4 * 1047. what does the magnitude of the equilibrium constant tell us about the reaction? 2 h2 (g) + o2 (g) ⇄ 2 h2o (g) k = 2.4 * 1047

Given reaction:

2H2 (g) + O2 (g) ↔ 2H2O (g)

The equilibrium constant can be expressed as

1) a ratio of the concentration of products to that of the reactants

Keq = [H2O]²/[H2]²[O2] = 2.4 * 10⁴⁷

2) It can also be expressed as a ratio of the rate of forward reaction to that of the reverse

Keq = k (forward) / k (reverse)

Since the Keq value is quite high, this implies that k (f) >> k (r). i. e. the rate of formation of product (water) is much higher than the reactant