Consider the following reaction:
In this topic we are not concerned with the reacting chemical or the products of the reaction but
with the arrow → , in the above equation. This arrow tells us that the reaction goes to completion.
This means that all (100%) of the reactants are turned into products. Most of the equations you have seen in
science will probably have used this type of arrow. However very few reactions
occur where all the reactants are turned into products. Neutralisation, metal acid reactions and combustion are a few examples
of reactions that you will have met that go to completion.
Most chemical equations are written with a different arrow:
This equation might look very similar to the one above except for the arrow, which is obviously different.
However this reaction is very different from the one mentioned above.
You can think of it as two separate reactions that are happening at the same time
The important fact is that these two reactions are happening at the same time. The equation below basically
shows two reactions in one!
We can use the symbols Rf and Rb to represent the rates of the forward and
reverse reactions. It is a common error to assume that these two rates are equal, but this is rarely the
case.
It is important to realise that during this reversible reaction you will end up with a mixture
of A, B, C and D once the reaction gets going. The proportions of A, B, C and D will depend to a large
extend on the rate of the forward and reverse reactions. 
Study the diagram below, it explains what is meant by dynamic equilibrium.
At equilibrium:
These changes at equilibrium are summarised in the graph shown below. Here the green line represents the amount of reactant and the red line the amount product. To begin with there is 100% reactant present and 0% of the product since the reaction has not started. However both lines for the reactants and products level out at a constant amount, this is the point at which the forward and reverse reactions are proceeding at the same rate. The reaction has achieved dynamic equilibrium and the amount of reactant and product does not change despite the fact that both the forward and reverse reactions are still proceeding..
Copper sulfate is a colourless (white) ionic crystalline solid. However most of the time you will have seen or used it in the lab it is blue not white. The reason for this is that it absorbs water from the air and this turns it blue. The dry or anhydrous copper sulfate has the formula CuS04, it is an ionic compounds with a giant ionic lattice structure. The water it absorbs from the air fits into this lattice structure and is held weakly in place. The wet or hydrated copper sulfate has the formula: CuS04.5H2O (the .5H2O just means that it has 5 moles of water associated with it crystal structure). This water can be easily evaporated from the lattice by heating. This is shown below, once it has evaporated it loses its blue colour and turns white or colourless to form anhydrous copper sulfate. Addition of water again forms the hydrated blue form of copper sulfate.
We can show this reversible reaction in an equation as:
Ammonium chloride is a colourless solid which will decompose when heated to form a mixture of two gases, ammonia and hydrogen chloride gas. This reaction is reversible and when cooled the mixture of the basic ammonia and the acidic hydrogen chloride gases will reform solid crystals of ammonia chloride. This reaction can be shown as:
The examples above all show reversible reactions, however none of these reactions will ever achieve dymanic equilibrium. The reason for this is simple - equilibrium can only be achieved in closed systems. That is a system where there is no transfer or movement of matter (solids, liquids or gases) in or out of the system. As a simple example consider two conical flasks filled with a little water. One flask is left open to the surrounding while the other represents a closed system, simply by placing a rubber bung in the flask.
If left evaporation of water will start in both flasks. In the open flask given enough time the water (the system) will simply evaporate and enter the surroundings- the atmopshere. However in the closed flask the water molecules will begin to evaporate and leave the liquid phase to enter the gas phase in the conical flask. The amount of water molecules in the gas phase will increased with time and eventually some will start to re-enter the liquid phase. When the rate of evaporation and the rate of condensation are the same then the amounts of water vapour and liquid water will remain constant despite the fact that evaporation and condensation are still going on. The key point is that a balance has been achieved, the rates of condenation and evaporation are equal - we say they are in equilibrium or balance. The word dymanic implies movement and since the two processes of evaporation and condensation are in balance but still continuing we say dynamic equilibrium has been reached,
What would happen if we set up three conicals flasks, each fitted with a stopper to ensure a closed systen and with: