Question

Which of the following is false regarding the Ellingham diagram?

(a) It consists of plots of ΔfG° vs T

(b) Ellingham diagrams are based on thermodynamic concepts

(c) They do not tell us anything about the kinetics of the reduction process

(d) They do not assume reactant-product equilibrium

I had been asked this question in unit test.

The query is from Thermodynamic Principles of Metallurgy in chapter General Principles and Processes of Isolation of Elements of Chemistry – Class 12

Answer 1

Right answer is (d) They do not assume reactant-product equilibrium

To elaborate: The interpretation of ΔG° is based upon K (i.e., ΔG° = -RT ln K). Thus, it is presumed that the reactants and the products are in equilibrium. But, this is not always true because the reactant/product may be solid.