Adding reactants to a system at equilibrium will shift the equilibriumTo the leftTo the rightNot at all
Question
Adding reactants to a system at equilibrium will shift the equilibrium
- To the left
- To the right
- Not at all
Solution
Adding reactants to a system at equilibrium will shift the equilibrium to the right. This is due to Le Chatelier's principle, which states that if a dynamic equilibrium is disturbed by changing the conditions, the position of equilibrium shifts to counteract the change.
Here are the steps to understand this:
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A system at equilibrium is a system where the rate of the forward reaction equals the rate of the reverse reaction.
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When you add more reactants to the system, you disturb the equilibrium.
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According to Le Chatelier's principle, the system will try to counteract this disturbance. In this case, it can do so by consuming the added reactants.
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The way for the system to consume the added reactants is to shift the equilibrium to the right, towards the products side. This increases the rate of the forward reaction, which uses up the added reactants.
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Therefore, adding reactants to a system at equilibrium will shift the equilibrium to the right.
Similar Questions
Removing reactants from a system at equilibrium will shift the equilibriumnot at allto the leftto the right
A system can be said to be in chemical equilibrium when (Choose all correct answers -- there may be more than one!)
TRUE OR FALSE: At equilibrium, the concentrations of reactants and products are equal.
True or false? Only reversible reactions in open systems can reach equilibrium.
Equilibrium is reached when the forward reaction happens at exactly the same __________ as the backward reaction. What one word completes this sentence?
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