Abstract
The experimental measurement of chemical equilibria frequently presents problems of considerable difficulty. In some cases the position of equilibrium may be such that the reaction goes nearly to completion in one direction, resulting in an extremely small concentration of one or more of the reactants. In other cases the rate of the reaction may be so slow that equilibrium is not established in any convenient time at some desired temperature. Then again, the rate of the reaction may be so rapid that an attempt to analyze the equilibrium mixture will result in a shift in equilibrium. Especially in the reactions of organic chemistry, as also in many inorganic reations,(sic) the problem is complicated by the presence of side reactions other than those of which the equilibrium we wish to measure. Finally, the presence of new compounds, the determination of their complexity, and the conditions necessary for their formation makes the study one of great interest and value. |Study of equilibria has contributed toward a more systematized classification of the science of chemistry. At the same time it has helped to establish chemistry as an indispensable foundation of modern industrial achievement.