THE Le CHATELIER’S PRINCIPLE

A chemical system not in equilibrium tends to progress toward equilibrium and

the relative concentrations of the reactants and products at equilibrium are
characterized by the equilibrium constant, K. What happens when a chemical system
already at equilibrium is disturbed?
In this Learning Activity Sheet, we will explore how various changes in
conditions affect the equilibrium position of a reaction system. The effects of change
in concentration, pressure, and temperature on a system at equilibrium can be
predicted using Le Chatelier’s principle.
Le Chatelier’s principle states that when a change is imposed on a system at
equilibrium, the position of the equilibrium shifts in a direction that tends to reduce the
effect of that change.
Chemical equilibrium represents a balance between forward and reverse
reactions. In most cases, this balance is quite delicate. Changes in experimental
conditions may disturb the balance and shift the equilibrium position so that more or
less of the desired product is formed. Concentration, pressure, volume, and
temperature are the variables that can be controlled experimentally.
Changes in Concentration
When the concentration of either a reactant or a product is increased, the
equilibrium shifts into the direction that would consume that added component. If the
concentration is decreased, then the equilibrium shifts into the direction that
replenishes the lost component.
In the video activity, upon addition of H2O, the concentration of H2O increases.
There is an increase in the frequency of collisions of H 2O with CoCl4-2 forming more
Co(H2O)6+2 as indicated by the change in color of the mixture. The change in color is
from purple to pink where pink is the distinctive color of Co(H2O)6+2. The equilibrium
shifts backward toward the direction of the formation of the reactant as shown below.
4Cl- + Co(H2O)6+2 ⇌ CoCl4-2 + 6(H2O)
Equilibrium shifts to the left upon the addition of H 2O.
The same thing will be observed if CoCl 4-2 is added. Since the concentration of
CoCl4-2 will be increased, greater frequency of collisions with H 2O will occur forming
more Co(H2O)6+2. The equilibrium will also shift backward toward the direction of the
formation of the reactant.
4Cl- + Co(H2O)6+2 ⇌ CoCl4-2 + 6(H2O)
Equilibrium shifts to the left upon the addition of CoCl4-2.
On the other hand, upon the addition of HCl, the concentration of Cl- increases.
There is an increase in the frequency of collisions of Cl- with Co(H2O)6+2 forming more
CoCl4-2 as indicated by the change in color of the mixture. The change in color is from
purple to blue which is the distinctive color of CoCl4-2. The equilibrium shifts forward
toward the direction of the formation of the product as shown below.
4Cl- + Co(H2O)6+2 ⇌ CoCl4-2 + 6(H2O)
Equilibrium shifts to the right upon the addition of HCl.
The same thing will be observed if Co(H2O)6+2 is added. The equilibrium will
also shift forward toward the direction of the formation of the product.
4Cl- + Co(H2O)6+2 ⇌ CoCl4-2 + 6(H2O)
Equilibrium shifts to the right upon the addition of Co(H2O)6+2.
Changes in Temperature
When the temperature is increased, the reaction which consumes the applied
heat is favored. When the temperature is decreased, the reaction which produces heat
is favored.
Another way of interpreting the results is to treat heat as either a reactant or
product. When heat is added, equilibrium shifts to the reaction that consumes it.
When the test tube containing the solution placed in hot water, the solution turns
blue and pink when placed in cold water. From these observations, it can be concluded
that the forward reaction is endothermic and is therefore favored upon application of
heat.
4Cl- + Co(H2O)6+2 + HEAT ⇌ CoCl4-2 + 6(H2O)
Equilibrium shifts to the right upon the application of heat in an endothermic reaction.
4Cl- + Co(H2O)6+2 + HEAT ⇌ CoCl4-2 + 6(H2O)
Equilibrium shifts to the left upon the application of heat in an exothermic reaction.
Changes in Pressure (or Volume)
Changes in pressure due to changes in the volume of the container affect
chemical equilibrium. When the pressure is increased by decreasing the volume of the
container, the system adjusts by reducing the total pressure exerted by the gas
particles present. The equilibrium shifts toward the formation of a lesser number of
gas particles.
For example, 2NO2(g) ⇌ N2O4(g)
When the volume of the container is decreased, the total pressure inside is
increased and the equilibrium has to shift to the direction that has a lesser number of
gaseous particles in order to relieve the pressure, i.e. towards the formation of N 2O4.
According to the balanced equation, there are two moles of NO 2 on the reactant side
and 1 mole of N2O4 on the product side.
2NO2(g) ⇌ N2O4(g)
 When pressure is increased, equilibrium shifts to the direction that has
lesser number of gaseous particles.
When the volume of the container is increased, then the total pressure is
decreased. When this happens, the equilibrium shifts to the direction that would
produce more gas particles, i.e. towards the formation of NO2.
2NO2(g) ⇌ N2O4(g)
When pressure is decreased, equilibrium shifts to the direction that has
greater number of gaseous particles.
Addition of any substance like Neon in the container which is not involved in the
equilibrium reaction will increase the total pressure of the reaction but will not affect
the value of the equilibrium constant. Therefore, it will not cause a shift in the
equilibrium.

PERFORMANCE TASK
Virtual Experiment: Le CHATELIER’S PRINCIPLE

Directions: Watch the video experiment on the website:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XqboaYTTxo8 and answer the
following questions below.

The video is all about how concentration and temperature affect the equilibrium
between two colored complexes of cobalt. The two cobalt complexes are Co(H2O)6+2
which is pink in color and CoCl4-2 which is color blue. At the start of the video, you will
see 6 test tubes. Each test tube contains a purple-colored mixture of cobalt complexes
of the same concentration. The equation is 4Cl- + Co(H2O)6+2 ⇌ CoCl4-2 + 6(H2O).

1. What happens to the mixture when H2O is added?

2. What happens to the mixture when HCl is added?
3. What happens to the mixture when placed in hot water?
4. What happens to the mixture when placed in cold water?
5. What happens to the mixture when NaCl is added?
6. What is the reason why the color of the mixture varies when H2O is added?
when HCl is added? when placed in hot water? when placed in cold water?
when NaCl is added?
7. Is the reaction exothermic or endothermic? How did you know?

Conclusion:
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