A traffic warden working at a busy city intersection becomes sleepy after a few hours work. The atmosphere at the intersection is found to contain several parts per million of carbon monoxide (CO). Carbon monoxide in the traffic warden’s blood reacts according to the equation $$HbO_2 + CO(g) \rightleftharpoons HbCO + O_2(g)$$ Hb represents haemoglobin. On the basis of this information, the equilibrium constant for the forward reaction of this equation is A. less than one. B. greater than one. C. one. D. unable to be estimated from the information.

SSCE VCE Chemistry Medicinal Chemistry: A traffic warden working at a bu

A traffic warden working at a busy city intersection becomes sleepy after a few hours work - VCE - SSCE Chemistry - Question 12 - 2004 - Paper 1

Question 12

A traffic warden working at a busy city intersection becomes sleepy after a few hours work. The atmosphere at the intersection is found to contain several parts per ... show full transcript

Worked Solution & Example Answer:A traffic warden working at a busy city intersection becomes sleepy after a few hours work - VCE - SSCE Chemistry - Question 12 - 2004 - Paper 1

Step 1

The equilibrium constant K

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Answer

To assess the equilibrium constant K for the reaction, we can utilize the following expression:

$K = \frac{[HbCO][O_2]}{[HbO_2][CO]}$

In this scenario, note that CO is present in significant concentrations in the environment, which can favor the formation of HbCO. As a larger fraction of HbO2 is converted into HbCO, the concentration of HbCO will be higher compared to HbO2, indicating that the products are favored.

Step 2

Implications of the concentration

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Answer

Since the concentration of carbon monoxide is elevated due to pollution, the forward reaction is driven toward the products. This suggests that the equilibrium constant K will be greater than one, reflecting the greater concentration of the products compared to the reactants.

Step 3

Conclusion

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Answer

Based on the analysis of the reaction dynamics and the concentration of reactants and products, the equilibrium constant for the forward reaction is therefore:

B. greater than one.

A traffic warden working at a busy city intersection becomes sleepy after a few hours work - VCE - SSCE Chemistry - Question 12 - 2004 - Paper 1

Worked Solution & Example Answer:A traffic warden working at a busy city intersection becomes sleepy after a few hours work - VCE - SSCE Chemistry - Question 12 - 2004 - Paper 1

The equilibrium constant K

Implications of the concentration

Conclusion

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