Thermodynamics is a complex topic. One way that equilibrium is noted is with the letter “k”. K is the equilibrium constant, this metric is used to show the concentration of products in relation to the concentration of reactants at equilibrium. If k=1 at equilibrium then the concentration of products equals that of the reactants. Equilibrium means that the forward and reverse reactions are occuring at the same rate, it does not necessarily mean that the concentration of the products and the concentration of reactants are equal to each other. When k is greater than 1 that means that the concentration of products is higher than the concentration of reactants at equilibrium. Additionally, this means that products are favored when at equilibrium, this favor is not referring to what direction the reaction will move rather just what side of the reaction has a higher concentration. In order to determine which way a reaction will move you will also need to consider the metric Q. This is a different topic that I will talk about later on however it is related because you need it to fully assess a thermodynamic reaction. When k is less than one the concentration of products is less than that of reactants at equilibrium, meaning that the reactants are favored at equilibrium. K is only used when discussing a reaction at equilibrium.
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