For the reaction N2(g) + 3H2(g) ⇌ 2NH3(g), what happens to the equilibrium position if the volume of the container is decreased?
Practice Questions
1 question
Q1
For the reaction N2(g) + 3H2(g) ⇌ 2NH3(g), what happens to the equilibrium position if the volume of the container is decreased?
Equilibrium shifts to the left
Equilibrium shifts to the right
No change in equilibrium
Equilibrium shifts in both directions
According to Le Chatelier's principle, decreasing the volume increases the pressure, and the equilibrium will shift towards the side with fewer moles of gas, which is the right side (2 moles of NH3).
Questions & Step-by-step Solutions
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Q
Q: For the reaction N2(g) + 3H2(g) ⇌ 2NH3(g), what happens to the equilibrium position if the volume of the container is decreased?
Solution: According to Le Chatelier's principle, decreasing the volume increases the pressure, and the equilibrium will shift towards the side with fewer moles of gas, which is the right side (2 moles of NH3).
Steps: 7
Step 1: Understand the reaction: N2(g) + 3H2(g) ⇌ 2NH3(g). This means we have 1 mole of N2 and 3 moles of H2 on the left side, and 2 moles of NH3 on the right side.
Step 2: Count the total moles of gas on each side. The left side has 1 + 3 = 4 moles of gas, and the right side has 2 moles of gas.
Step 3: Know that decreasing the volume of the container increases the pressure inside the container.
Step 4: Apply Le Chatelier's principle, which states that if a system at equilibrium is disturbed, it will shift to counteract the disturbance.
Step 5: Since the pressure increases when the volume decreases, the equilibrium will shift towards the side with fewer moles of gas to reduce the pressure.
Step 6: Identify which side has fewer moles of gas. The right side has 2 moles of NH3, which is fewer than the 4 moles on the left side.
Step 7: Conclude that the equilibrium will shift to the right side, producing more NH3.
