Question

Describe the effect of following components on the equilibrium of the given reaction.

(a) addition of $H_2$
(b) addition of ${CH}_{3}OH$
(c) removal of $CO$
(d) removal of ${CH}_{3}OH$

$2H_2\left(g\right)+CO\left(g\right)\rightleftharpoons {CH}_{3}OH\left(g\right)$

Answer 1

According to Lechatelier's principle-

When any system at equilibrium for a long period of time is subjected to change in concentration, temperature, volume, or pressure, (1) the system changes to a new equilibrium and (2) this change partly counteracts the applied change.

So, we can observe from the given change as:

(a) When hydrogen is added, the equilibrium shifts in the forward direction.
(b) When methanol is added, the equilibrium will shift in backward direction.
(c) When CO is removed, the equilibrium will shift in the backward direction.
(d) When methanol is removed, the equilibrium will shift in the forward direction.