equilibrium law
- noun
- /ˌiːkwɪˈlɪbriəm lɔː/
- Specialized
:
ley de equilibrio
- In a closed system, the equilibrium law helps predict the concentrations of reactants and products at equilibrium.
Examples
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The equilibrium law states that at constant temperature, the rates of a forward and reverse chemical reaction remain balanced.
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So this is not yet the equilibrium law of mass action.
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According to the equilibrium law, the constant ratio of the reaction rates defines the balance in a reversible chemical reaction.
Synonyms
A rule that in a reversible chemical reaction the forward and reverse reactions happen at the same rate at equilibrium
Surface Forms
Morphology
The phrase is compositionally built from 'equilibrium' (a state in which concentrations remain constant) plus 'law' (a scientific generalization), so a B1 learner who knows both words would infer it denotes a scientific rule or principle concerning equilibrium. Although the full technical formulation (ratio of forward/reverse rates) is specialized, the basic meaning is directly derivable and follows common cross-linguistic noun–noun composition patterns.
Etymology
Equilibrium law gives a simple picture: equilibrium is like a balance and law is a 'rule' that explains how things stay steady. So, it says the speeds of the forward and reverse reactions settle into a constant ratio when the reaction is in 'balance', and that is why chemists use it to predict the amounts of substances at equilibrium.
