EQUILIBRIUM

I. Introduce relevant background knowledge on this topic.

The first concept I studied in class or explored on my own was the reversible reaction.
The constant conversion of reactants (A+B) into products (C+D) and vice versa is a feature of
reversible reactions. It implies that the forward and backward reactions happen at the same time.
Double arrows in a chemical equation reflect the reversibility of a reaction.

The second concept I learned during the simulation was about equilibrium. Equilibrium is
the state of a reversible reaction in which both forward and reverse reactions occur at the same
pace.

The equilibrium constant was the third concept I learned from the simulation. The
equilibrium constant Kc is used to calculate the composition of a reaction at equilibrium. Its
value in an equilibrium reaction is equal to the reaction quotient. Divide the product
concentration (or thermodynamic activity) by the reactant concentration to get the constant. In
the balanced chemical equation, the concentration of each species is raised to the power of its
coefficient.

The fourth concept I studied was about Le Chatelier's principle. The idea is that if the
circumstances of an equilibrium change, the equilibrium will move to the left or right (reactant or
product side) to compensate. Therefore, a new equilibrium is established under various
conditions. During exothermic reactions, energy is emitted. As a result, in this case, heat is
considered a product. When the quantity of heat in the system is increased, the equilibrium will
shift to the reactant side to compensate for the increase in the product. Heat, on the other hand, is
considered a reactant in endothermic reactions since the reaction consumes energy. As a result,
increasing the temperature shifts the equilibrium to the right. I also discovered that increasing the
pressure causes the equilibrium to shift, allowing us to drop the pressure again. As an outcome,
raising the pressure shifts the equilibrium to the side with fewer moles. Finally, if the
concentration of molecules on one side of the equation increases, the equilibrium will shift to the
opposite side of the equation. If we increase the reactant concentration, for example, the
equilibrium will shift to the product side.

The fifth concept I discovered throughout the simulation was all about the reaction
quotient. The reaction quotient Q, when compared to the equilibrium constant Kc, can be used to
forecast the directionality of a chemical reaction. It is calculated in the same manner as Kc.

The sixth concept I acquired from the simulation was the essence of catalysis. Catalyst, as
I found, gives an additional pathway for a reaction with lower activation energy, allowing the
reaction to continue more swiftly. Catalysts can only accelerate a process and not affect its
equilibrium. The reaction would continue in the same direction without a catalyst, although at a
slower rate. We can see how a transfer from one energy level to another is a reaction from a
substrate to a product in the diagram below. A catalyst reduces this energy level, making it
simpler to obtain transition energy and so resulting in a quicker reaction.

The Haber process was the last concept I learned throughout the simulation. In the
simulation, I encountered Fritz Haber and Carl Bosch, the inventors of the aforementioned
process. It was used to generate fertilizer by fixing nitrogen from the atmosphere. Under high
temperature/pressure conditions, the catalyzed process converts nitrogen (N2) and hydrogen
(H2) into ammonia (NH3), as shown below.

II. Summarize the steps taken in the simulation.

The introduction to the virtual laboratory was the first stage that I performed. Precautions must
be taken, as is customary. The Chemical Equilibrium simulation was introduced to me at this
stage. The objectives for me to achieve or complete were also outlined here, which piqued my
interest in assisting a well-known scientist in averting a global famine.

The second step I accomplished was to learn about ammonia production in order to avoid a
global famine in a few years owing to a shortage of natural nitrogen supply for our plants. As a
result, one of the answers to the problem was to generate ammonia from nitrogen and hydrogen.
In this liquified form, I may administer nitrogen straight to the soil. However, because ammonia
is often converted back to N2 and H2, yields are low. In the following phase, I will investigate
such a response to see whether I can change the direction of its reaction.
 The third step I completed was learning how to manipulate chemical equilibrium. It is
vital to notice that forward and reverse reactions occur at the same pace. I learned in the
simulation that each 'explosion' reflects one transformation of N2O4 to NO2 or the other way
around. NO2 is brown while N2O4 is transparent. Because NO2 accounts for around one-third of
the molecules in the syringe, the liquid in the syringe is light brown in color. Observing the
screen, I realized that the concentrations of products and reactants in an equilibrium are stable,
but not necessarily equal. If I know the reactant and product concentrations at equilibrium, I can
calculate the equilibrium constant Kc. It informs me how far the chemical reaction has
progressed. Kc is calculated in this case by dividing the product concentration by the reactant
concentration. In the balanced chemical equation, the concentration of each chemical is raised to
the power of that chemical's coefficient.

The fourth step was to conduct the various experiments and forecast the reaction's
directionality. The first experiment was to examine how high heat affected the contents of the
syringe. As a consequence of the observations, I discovered that after heating, the majority of the
N2O4 is changed to NO2. Heating promotes the forward reaction in endothermic reactions,
according to Le Chatelier's principle. Because the concentration of products has risen, I believe
the equilibrium has shifted to the right. When I return the syringe back to room temperature, the
NO2 converts back to N2O4, and the process is repeated until equilibrium is reached. The
second experiment included immersing the syringe in liquid nitrogen. I discovered that the
majority of the NO2 in here is changed to N2O4. Under these conditions, the back reaction is
preferred, and the equilibrium shifts to the reactant side. The equilibrium point has shifted to the
left. Because the concentration of brown NO2 in the liquid nitrogen tank is near to zero, I
anticipated the syringe to be transparent within the liquid nitrogen tank. The syringe is now
packed with colorless N2O4. Finally, for the third experiment, I was instructed to click on the
plunger while the syringe was on its rack in order to raise the pressure in the syringe. Following
that, I have noticed that the concentration of both gases increases immediately after I press the
plunger. This is due to the fact that when the concentration of gases increases and the molecules
are pushed into a smaller volume, the color intensifies.

The fifth and most likely last stage that I performed was to use the Haber process ideas
that I had learnt to boost ammonia production. I pick up the combustion tube and insert it in an
empty slot in an apparatus to assemble it. When I turn on the gas, bubbles should appear in the
gas washing bottles on the left. To begin the reaction, I must supply both nitrogen and hydrogen
to the equipment by allowing gas flow and providing heat with the use of a Bunsen burner. The
indicator inside the gas washing bottle on the right changes color as it comes into touch with
ammonia. The presence of ammonia stained the indicator fluid pink, signifying that I am creating
NH3 from N2 and H2. Following that, I apply a catalyst to accelerate the pace at which the
reaction achieves equilibrium. In the experiment, steel wool is utilized as a catalyst.
Unfortunately, the catalyst used in the Haber process works best at high temperatures. As a
result, the combustion tube will need to be heated. Q is less than Kc at the beginning of the
experiment, favoring the forward reaction. The forward reaction is favorable when the
concentration of reactants is greater than the concentration of products, and the yields are high.

1. What are the problems faced by hospitals using traditional manual process and how will HMIS address
these issues?

- Hospitals which uses traditional manual process have difficulty in managing medical records.
Improper storage of these documents was also a concern because of the struggles in retrieving these
records and the expensive cost of keeping them in secure storage. The manual process can be time-
consuming. There would be a possibility of duplicating confidential medical records. Getting an overview
of the number of patients visiting the hospital, identifying the issues that demand immediate attention,
and supplying relevant information was exceedingly difficult to perform in a typical manual procedure.
The manual process means most medical records are in papers. As such, these papers would be easily
destroyed or torn apart. Hospitals that employ the manual procedure do not receive real-time data, and
delays in data receipt generate problems with accountability, expiration date monitoring, stock
management, and auto indenting. With the help of The Health Management Information System, it
would be easier to access the medical records. All medical records will be in order and would be
retrieved easily. It addresses this issue by aiding in the administration and planning of healthcare
programs. It generates data that will improve healthcare decision-making at all levels of the system. All
confidential information will be secure. It will be safe from possible threats, and it addresses the need to
enhance the management of the healthcare services and to have real-time data available to monitor the
hospital's performance.

2.How can a robust M&E system help in the successful implementation of health programs?

- M&E systems have helped health programs by tracking and evaluating methods in collecting and
using health data. With the use of quantitative and qualitative technique to collect and use health data
to inform decision-making, performing rigorous evaluations to evaluate the effectiveness of the
program, and designing and conducting operational research to address implementation challenges,
monitoring and evaluation (M&E) systems have been critical in accelerating progress of health.
Following the implementation of health initiatives, the Department of Health will analyze whether the
service delivery provided by our health institutions is effective. The appropriate indicators, data
collecting tools, and data analysis to assist decision-making helps in the effective deployment of
integrated services and measurement of their impact on service delivery and use. Monitoring also refers
to gathering, analyzing, and applying data from programs to learn from past experiences, account for
internal and external resources employed, and create results and make choices. Contrarily, the
systematic examination of finished programs or policies is known as the evaluation. Monitoring and
evaluation are complementary, meaning they complement one other. Evaluation will follow after the
monitoring or after the data has been submitted. The M&E system also covers the framework's
components and lays the groundwork for frequent assessments since the plan is at the national level.
The M&E strategy will assist them in identifying the needs for which the government should give by
comparing the gathered data to be implemented on a national basis. By recording and evaluating a
range of ailments that afflict low-income countries, M&E systems have aided in improving global health.
By establishing a well-built M&E system to track and measure progress, strengthening Health
Management Information Systems (HMIS) at the facility, community, national, and international levels
to manage health data, and tracking progress toward achieving health targets, M&E has contributed to
the achievement of health outcomes, improving health service delivery, and saving lives.

3. We must maintain data quality, particularly in the healthcare sector, because data quality describes
how current systems perform, chronicles changes, and enables comparison and long-term improvement
monitoring. The accuracy and dependability of any conclusions we draw are only as good as the data.
Data quality refers to the overall utility of a dataset that has been acquired from various healthcare
institutions and is well-organized or compiled. So, before collecting data, it is reviewed to check if the
quality is good enough to distribute so that a data analytics system can readily read, process, and
analyze it. As a result, we must ensure that our data is of the best possible quality in a medical setting.
Data must be accurate, complete, relevant, consistent, dependable, and accessible. In addition, for us to
know if our data has a high or low quality, the application of LQAS is adopted. LQAS is a form of
assessment. It is used as a control tool because if there are specific low quality that we can identify, then
that is where we should concentrate our improvement measures. After all, we must ensure that our
data elements have a high quality. In LQAS, we have processes for data quality. First, we must define the
service that we can evaluate. There would be a set of specified responses if we were to do LQAS. So, in
this case, we must assess a specific unit. We must first determine the measure of interest. For example,
we intended to evaluate the laboratory department in terms of patient satisfaction. We may now
establish the higher and lower performance thresholds based on the information on the projected
performance of the region of interest now that you have already selected the precise unit of analysis.
So, for example, if we wanted to know the patient's happiness with the waiting time or turnaround time
in the laboratory, we might assist the phlebotomist. Adopting data quality technologies in the medical
context offers several advantages, such as accommodating data analysis and identifying missing or
erroneous data that need correction. Lately, these tools have started to focus on data quality
management generally, integrate profiling, parsing and standardization, monitoring, enrichment,
generalized cleansing, and matching process. Dedicated data cleansing tools developed to address
normalization and reduplication separate the first generation of data quality technologies. Although, in
the last ten years, there has been a generalization of Extract, Transform, Load (ETL) techniques that
allow the alimentation process to be optimized. Information that is both valuable and consistent is
"quality data." Data cleaning helps improve the quality of accessible data.