Although it is generally accepted that the fractional conversion of a given species in an equilibrium reaction can be increased by adding an excess of the other reactants, it is shown that this is not uniformly correct. In fact, it is found that under some circumstances, adding a large excess of the other reactants can actually decrease the fractional conversion of the component it is wished to react. Equations are developed from which to determine the feed composition which leads to the maximum fractional conversion of a given species.^Xlthough much attention has been given to determining the effect of reaction conditions (pressure and temperature) on the equilibrium compositions of a reacting mixture, much less attention has been devoted to the question of preparing reactant feed streams which lead to optimum equilibrium conversions at the specified reaction conditions. In this
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.