Q.We know that the relationship between Kc and Kp is
Kp = Kc (RT)^Δn
What would be the value of Δn for the reaction
NH4Cl (s) ⇌ NH3
is the change in moles of gas between products and reactants. For the decomposition of solid ammonium chloride into two gaseous products, .
The relationship connects the equilibrium constants expressed in partial pressures and concentrations. The exponent captures how the number of gas molecules changes during the reaction, because pressure and concentration scale differently when the total mole count shifts.
The key insight: only gaseous species contribute to . Solids and liquids have fixed activities (essentially constant concentrations) and do not appear in the equilibrium expression in a way that depends on volume or pressure.
For the general reaction
we define
Now let's apply this to the given reaction:
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Identify the gaseous species on the product side.
We have with coefficient 1 and with coefficient 1.
Total moles of gaseous products = .
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Identify the gaseous species on the reactant side.
is a solid. It does not contribute to .
Total moles of gaseous reactants = .
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Calculate .
The reaction starts with zero gas molecules (just a solid) and produces two gas molecules. This doubling of the gas-phase particle count means that will differ from by a factor of .
A common mistake is to count the solid in . Remember: solids and pure liquids are omitted from equilibrium expressions because their activities are constant, so they play no role in the calculation.
The correct option is (iv) .
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