PART 1a: kfor = ½ and krev = ½
Start with:
• 16 pennies
• and kfor = 1/2 krev = 1/2
Place 16 pennies face up on the reactant side of the beaker. This represents the reaction at time=0. In this simulation, face up pennies will represent reactants [R] and face down pennies will represent products [P]. The reaction will proceed in the forward direction and [R] will be transformed into [P]. This transformation will be simulated by flipping over some fraction of the face up pennies. Once product has been formed (face down pennies) the reaction will proceed in the reverse direction to form more [R]. The reverse reaction will be simulated by flipping over some face down pennies. After repeating this procedure for some time you will reach a point (if you didn’t mess up) where the number of face up and face down pennies will remain constant.
Time one:
The number of pennies flipped over each round depends on the rate of the forward and reverse reactions and how many face up (Reactant) pennies and face down (Product) pennies there are at the beginning of the round.
Reactant:
Calculate the forward reaction rate
rate forward = kforward[R] [R] = number of face up pennies
Flip that many pennies over and move them to the product side of the beaker. Round down any fractions to the
nearest whole number
Product:
There is no product at the beginning of this round so you don’t do anything yet.