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LECHATELIER'SPRINCIPLE
ThispagelooksatLeChatelier'sPrincipleandexplainshowto
applyittoreactionsinastateofdynamicequilibrium.Itcovers
changestothepositionofequilibriumifyouchange
concentration,pressureortemperature.Italsoexplainsvery
brieflywhycatalystshavenoeffectonthepositionof
equilibrium.
Important:Ifyouaren'tsureaboutthewordsdynamic
equilibriumorpositionofequilibriumyoushouldreadthe
introductorypagebeforeyougoon
Itisimportantinunderstandingeverythingonthispageto
realisethatLeChatelier'sPrincipleisnomorethanauseful
guidetohelpyouworkoutwhathappenswhenyouchangethe
conditionsinareactionindynamicequilibrium.Itdoesn'texplain
anything.I'llkeepcomingbacktothatpoint!
UsingLeChatelier'sPrinciple
AstatementofLeChatelier'sPrinciple
Ifadynamicequilibriumisdisturbedbychangingthe
conditions,thepositionofequilibriummovestocounteract
thechange.
UsingLeChatelier'sPrinciplewithachangeof
concentration
Supposeyouhaveanequilibriumestablishedbetweenfour
substancesA,B,CandD.
Note:Incaseyouwonder,thereasonforchoosingthis
equationratherthanhavingjustA+Bonthelefthandsideis
becausefurtherdownthispageIneedanequationwhichhas
differentnumbersofmoleculesoneachside.Iamgoingto
usethatsameequationthroughoutthispage.
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Whatwouldhappenifyouchangedtheconditionsby
increasingtheconcentrationofA?
AccordingtoLeChatelier,thepositionofequilibriumwillmovein
suchawayastocounteractthechange.Thatmeansthatthe
positionofequilibriumwillmovesothattheconcentrationofA
decreasesagainbyreactingitwithBandturningitintoC+D.
Thepositionofequilibriummovestotheright.
Thisisausefulwayofconvertingthemaximumpossibleamount
ofBintoCandD.Youmightuseitif,forexample,Bwasa
relativelyexpensivematerialwhereasAwascheapandplentiful.
Whatwouldhappenifyouchangedtheconditionsby
decreasingtheconcentrationofA?
AccordingtoLeChatelier,thepositionofequilibriumwillmove
sothattheconcentrationofAincreasesagain.Thatmeansthat
moreCandDwillreacttoreplacetheAthathasbeenremoved.
Thepositionofequilibriummovestotheleft.
Thisisesssentiallywhathappensifyouremoveoneofthe
productsofthereactionassoonasitisformed.If,forexample,
youremovedCassoonasitwasformed,thepositionof
equilibriumwouldmovetotherighttoreplaceit.Ifyoukepton
removingit,theequilibriumpositionwouldkeeponmoving
rightwardsturningthisintoaonewayreaction.
Important
Thisisn'tinanywayanexplanationofwhythepositionof
equilibriummovesinthewaysdescribed.AllLeChatelier's
Principlegivesyouisaquickwayofworkingoutwhathappens.
Note:Ifyouknowaboutequilibriumconstants,youwillfind
amoredetailedexplanationoftheeffectofachangeof
concentrationbyfollowingthislink.Ifyoudon'tknow
anythingaboutequilibriumconstants,youshouldignorethis
link.
Ifyouchoosetofollowit,returntothispageviatheBACK
buttononyourbrowserorviatheequilibriummenu.
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6/20/2017 LeChatelier'sPrinciple
UsingLeChatelier'sPrinciplewithachangeofpressure
Thisonlyappliestoreactionsinvolvinggases:
Whatwouldhappenifyouchangedtheconditionsby
increasingthepressure?
AccordingtoLeChatelier,thepositionofequilibriumwillmovein
suchawayastocounteractthechange.Thatmeansthatthe
positionofequilibriumwillmovesothatthepressureisreduced
again.
Pressureiscausedbygasmoleculeshittingthesidesoftheir
container.Themoremoleculesyouhaveinthecontainer,the
higherthepressurewillbe.Thesystemcanreducethepressure
byreactinginsuchawayastoproducefewermolecules.
Inthiscase,thereare3moleculesonthelefthandsideofthe
equation,butonly2ontheright.ByformingmoreCandD,the
systemcausesthepressuretoreduce.
Increasingthepressureonagasreactionshiftsthepositionof
equilibriumtowardsthesidewithfewermolecules.
Whatwouldhappenifyouchangedtheconditionsby
decreasingthepressure?
Theequilibriumwillmoveinsuchawaythatthepressure
increasesagain.Itcandothatbyproducingmoremolecules.In
thiscase,thepositionofequilibriumwillmovetowardstheleft
handsideofthereaction.
Whathappensiftherearethesamenumberofmolecules
onbothsidesoftheequilibriumreaction?
Inthiscase,increasingthepressurehasnoeffectwhatsoever
onthepositionoftheequilibrium.Becauseyouhavethesame
numbersofmoleculesonbothsides,theequilibriumcan'tmove
inanywaythatwillreducethepressureagain.
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Important
Again,thisisn'tanexplanationofwhythepositionofequilibrium
movesinthewaysdescribed.Youwillfindarathermathematical
treatmentoftheexplanationbyfollowingthelinkbelow.
Note:Youwillfindadetailedexplanationbyfollowingthis
link.Ifyoudon'tknowanythingaboutequilibriumconstants
(particularlyKp),youshouldignorethislink.Thesamething
appliesifyoudon'tlikethingstobetoomathematical!Ifyou
areaUKA'levelstudent,youwon'tneedthisexplanation.
Ifyouchoosetofollowthelink,returntothispageviathe
BACKbuttononyourbrowserorviatheequilibriummenu.
UsingLeChatelier'sPrinciplewithachangeoftemperature
Forthis,youneedtoknowwhetherheatisgivenoutor
absorbedduringthereaction.Assumethatourforwardreaction
isexothermic(heatisevolved):
Thisshowsthat250kJisevolved(hencethenegativesign)
when1moleofAreactscompletelywith2molesofB.For
reversiblereactions,thevalueisalwaysgivenasifthereaction
wasonewayintheforwarddirection.
Thebackreaction(theconversionofCandDintoAandB)
wouldbeendothermicbyexactlythesameamount.
Whatwouldhappenifyouchangedtheconditionsby
increasingthetemperature?
AccordingtoLeChatelier,thepositionofequilibriumwillmovein
suchawayastocounteractthechange.Thatmeansthatthe
positionofequilibriumwillmovesothatthetemperatureis
reducedagain.
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6/20/2017 LeChatelier'sPrinciple
Supposethesystemisinequilibriumat300C,andyouincrease
thetemperatureto500C.Howcanthereactioncounteractthe
changeyouhavemade?Howcanitcoolitselfdownagain?
Tocooldown,itneedstoabsorbtheextraheatthatyouhave
justputin.Inthecasewearelookingat,thebackreaction
absorbsheat.Thepositionofequilibriumthereforemovestothe
left.ThenewequilibriummixturecontainsmoreAandB,and
lessCandD.
IfyouwereaimingtomakeasmuchCandDaspossible,
increasingthetemperatureonareversiblereactionwherethe
forwardreactionisexothermicisn'tagoodidea!
Whatwouldhappenifyouchangedtheconditionsby
decreasingthetemperature?
Theequilibriumwillmoveinsuchawaythatthetemperature
increasesagain.
Supposethesystemisinequilibriumat500Candyoureduce
thetemperatureto400C.Thereactionwilltendtoheatitselfup
againtoreturntotheoriginaltemperature.Itcandothatby
favouringtheexothermicreaction.
Thepositionofequilibriumwillmovetotheright.MoreAandB
areconvertedintoCandDatthelowertemperature.
Summary
Increasingthetemperatureofasystemindynamic
equilibriumfavourstheendothermicreaction.Thesystem
counteractsthechangeyouhavemadebyabsorbingthe
extraheat.
Decreasingthetemperatureofasystemindynamic
equilibriumfavourstheexothermicreaction.Thesystem
counteractsthechangeyouhavemadebyproducingmore
heat.
Important
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6/20/2017 LeChatelier'sPrinciple
Again,thisisn'tinanywayanexplanationofwhythepositionof
equilibriummovesinthewaysdescribed.Itisonlyawayof
helpingyoutoworkoutwhathappens.
Note:Iamnotgoingtoattemptanexplanationofthis
anywhereonthesite.Todoitproperlyisfartoodifficultfor
thislevel.Itispossibletocomeupwithanexplanationof
sortsbylookingathowtherateconstantsfortheforwardand
backreactionschangerelativetoeachotherbyusingthe
Arrheniusequation,butthisisn'tastandardwayofdoingit,
andisliabletoconfusethoseofyougoingontodoa
Chemistrydegree.Ifyouaren'tgoingtodoaChemistry
degree,youwon'tneedtoknowaboutthisanyway!
LeChatelier'sPrincipleandcatalysts
Catalystshavesneakedontothispageunderfalsepretences,
becauseaddingacatalystmakesabsolutelynodifferenceto
thepositionofequilibrium,andLeChatelier'sPrinciple
doesn'tapplytothem.
Thisisbecauseacatalystspeedsuptheforwardandback
reactiontothesameextent.Becauseaddingacatalystdoesn't
affecttherelativeratesofthetworeactions,itcan'taffectthe
positionofequilibrium.Sowhyuseacatalyst?
Foradynamicequilibriumtobesetup,theratesoftheforward
reactionandthebackreactionhavetobecomeequal.This
doesn'thappeninstantly.Foraveryslowreaction,itcouldtake
years!Acatalystspeedsuptherateatwhichareactionreaches
dynamicequilibrium.
Note:Youmighttryimagininghowlongitwouldtaketo
establishadynamicequilibriumifyoutookthevisualmodel
ontheintroductorypageandreducedthechancesofthe
colourschangingbyafactorof1000from3in6to3in
6000andfrom1in6to1in6000.
Startingwithbluesquares,bytheendofthetimetakenfor
theexamplesonthatpage,youwouldmostprobablystill
haveentirelybluesquares.Eventually,though,youwould
endupwiththesamesortofpatternsasbeforecontaining
25%blueand75%orangesquares.
Questionstotestyourunderstanding
Ifthisisthefirstsetofquestionsyouhavedone,pleasereadthe
introductorypagebeforeyoustart.YouwillneedtousetheBACKBUTTON
onyourbrowsertocomebackhereafterwards.
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questionsonLeChatelier'sPrinciple
answers
Wherewouldyouliketogonow?
Totheequilibriummenu...
TothePhysicalChemistrymenu...
ToMainMenu...
JimClark2002(modifiedApril2013)
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