Answered

Which statement describes a reversible reaction at equilibrium?
(1) The activation energy of the forward reaction must equal the activation energy of the reverse reaction.
(2) The rate of the forward reaction must equal the rate of the reverse reaction.
(3) The concentration of the reactants must equal the concentration of the products.
(4) The potential energy of the reactants must equal the potential energy of the products.



Answer :

When a reaction has reached Equilibrium, the rate of the forward reaction is equal to that of the backward reaction.

Answer: The correct answer is Option 2.

Explanation:

Reversible reaction is defined as the reaction in which the products formed react together to give the reactants back. For general reversible chemical equation:

[tex]aA+bB\rightleftharpoons cC+dD[/tex]

At equilibrium, the rate of forward reaction is equal to the rate of backward reaction.

Rate of forward reaction: [tex]k[A]^a[B]^b[/tex]

Rate of backward reaction: [tex]k[C]^c[D]^d[/tex]

At equilibrium, [tex]k[A]^a[B]^b[/tex] = [tex]k[C]^c[D]^d[/tex]

Thus, the correct answer is Option 2.