Le Chatelier Principle

Front

What is Le Chatelier's Principle?

Back

Le Chatelier's Principle states that if a dynamic equilibrium is disturbed by changing the conditions, the position of equilibrium shifts to counteract the change and restore a new equilibrium.

Front

What happens to the equilibrium position when a reactant is added?

Back

The equilibrium position shifts to the right, favoring the formation of products.

Front

What happens to the equilibrium position when a product is removed?

Back

The equilibrium position shifts to the right, favoring the formation of more products.

Front

How does increasing temperature affect an exothermic reaction at equilibrium?

Back

The equilibrium position shifts to the left, favoring the reactants, as the system absorbs the added heat.

Front

How does decreasing pressure affect a gaseous equilibrium with more moles of gas on one side?

Back

The equilibrium position shifts toward the side with more moles of gas to increase pressure.

Front

What is the effect of adding an inert gas to a system at equilibrium?

Back

Adding an inert gas at constant volume has no effect on the position of equilibrium.

Front

What happens to the equilibrium position when a catalyst is added?

Back

A catalyst speeds up the rate of both the forward and reverse reactions equally, but does not change the position of equilibrium.

Front

What is the effect of adding a common ion to a solution at equilibrium?

Back

The equilibrium position shifts to the left, favoring the formation of reactants, due to the common ion effect.

Front

What is the significance of the equilibrium constant (K_eq)?

Back

The equilibrium constant (K_eq) quantifies the ratio of concentrations of products to reactants at equilibrium at a given temperature.

Front

What does it mean if K_eq > 1?

Back

If K_eq > 1, it indicates that at equilibrium, the concentration of products is greater than that of reactants.