Steady State vs Equilibrium - 1-Minute MCAT Concept

本站添加: 2026-06-05

[00:00:00]Dynamic equilibrium describes a chemical reaction that has maximized its entropy in a closed system.

[00:00:07]On a molecular scale, all reactions are reversible because the physics of collisions works the same in reverse.

[00:00:14]This means that in a reaction mixture, the forward and reverse reactions are happening at the same time. A reaction moves forward only because the forward rate is greater than the reverse rate.

[00:00:24]As products are made and reactants used, the reverse rate increases and the forward rate decreases until the rates equilibrate. Equilibrium is the condition where the forward and reverse rates are equal. Because there is no overall chemical change, dynamic equilibrium is death for a cell. A dynamic steady state, on the other hand, describes an open system where concentrations are maintained by feeding chemicals into one side of a reaction and removing them from the other. There is a continuous directed flow of energy into or out of the system. Living cells require quasi steady states.