Cambridge IGCSE Chemistry · Syllabus 0620 · Chemical Reactions
Dynamic Equilibrium
What is Dynamic Equilibrium?
The state reached by a reversible reaction in a closed system when the forward and reverse reactions are proceeding at exactly equal rates, so that the concentrations of all reactants and products remain constant. Both reactions continue: nothing has stopped, and the concentrations need not be equal to one another.
This definition is part of the Chemical Reactions chapter in Cambridge IGCSE Chemistry.
Common mistakes with Dynamic Equilibrium
- 13. “At equilibrium the reaction has stopped.” Supplement 6.3.3 Why temptingNothing observable changes. RepairBoth reactions continue at equal, non-zero rates. That is exactly what the word dynamic is doing in “dynamic equilibrium”. TransferWhat would happen to the colour of a sealed \(\mathrm{NO_2}\)/\(\mathrm{N_2O_4}\) tube if the forward reaction really stopped? It would keep changing until one substance ran out.