Effect of temperature on Kc
Effect of temperature on Kc
Formula
ln(K₂/K₁) = -(ΔH°/R)(1/T₂ − 1/T₁)
Real World
The synthesis of ammonia (Haber process) is exothermic: BASF found that raising the temperature to speed up the reaction simultaneously decreases Kc, reducing the equilibrium yield of NH₃ — a real industrial trade-off between rate and yield.
Exam Focus
Always link the direction of Kc change to the sign of ΔH°: if exothermic, rising temperature decreases Kc — state this explicitly for full marks.
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