In the Contact process, sulfur dioxide reacts with oxygen to produce sulfur trioxide in the presence of a vanadium(V) oxide catalyst. A dynamic equilibrium is established according to the following equation:
2SO2(g)+O2(g)⇌2SO3(g) 2\text{SO}_2(\text{g}) + \text{O}_2(\text{g}) \rightleftharpoons 2\text{SO}_3(\text{g}) 2SO2(g)+O2(g)⇌2SO3(g)The forward reaction is exothermic.
State the effect of the vanadium(V) oxide catalyst on:
the rate of attainment of this equilibrium,
the equilibrium yield of sulfur trioxide.
Practise Edexcel GCSE Chemistry Reversible reactions and equilibria with exam-style questions for Foundation and Higher tier. 38 questions, matched to the Edexcel GCSE Chemistry (1CH0) specification and written in Paper 1 and Paper 2 style. Every question includes a full worked solution and mark scheme, so you can see where marks are awarded rather than just whether you got the answer right.
