Question

What affects the position of equilibrium?

Answer 1

Equilibrium:

1. Equilibrium is one in which a process and its reverse are happening at equal rates with no overall change.
2. The position of equilibrium is affected according to Le chatelier's principle which states that “When a system in equilibrium is subjected to a change in temperature, volume, concentration, or pressure, the system readjusts to partially counter the effect of the change, creating a new equilibrium.”

Effect of temperature:

1. Heat is regarded as an end product of a chemical reaction if it is exothermic. Heat is considered a reactant in an endothermic process. As a result, adjusting the temperature can be compared to adjusting the reactant or product concentration.
2. The equilibrium shifts to the left (reactants)as the temperature rises because the system's heat output rises. The equilibrium moves to the right (products) as the temperature decreases.

Effect of pressure/volume:

1. If one or more of the particles in a chemical reaction are gases, pressure and volume may change.
2. The reaction moves toward the side with lower pressure as the pressure or volume increases.
3. Equilibrium moves toward the higher pressure side of the equation if either the pressure is increased or volume is decreased.
4. However, it should be noted that while introducing an inert gas (such as argon or neon) raises the system's overall pressure, it has no effect on the partial pressure of the reactants or products, avoiding an equilibrium shift.

Effect of concentration:

1. The equilibrium will change to create more products if the concentration of the reactants (quantity of reactants) rises (product-favored).
2. The reaction will change to produce more reactants as the number of products rises (reactant-favored).

Therefore, temperature, pressure/volume, and concentration affect the equilibrium.