How does increasing temperature affect an exothermic reaction at equilibrium?
Practice Questions
Q1
How does increasing temperature affect an exothermic reaction at equilibrium?
Shifts equilibrium to the right
Shifts equilibrium to the left
No effect on equilibrium
Increases the rate of reaction
Questions & Step-by-Step Solutions
How does increasing temperature affect an exothermic reaction at equilibrium?
Step 1: Understand what an exothermic reaction is. It is a reaction that releases heat.
Step 2: Know that in a chemical reaction at equilibrium, the forward and reverse reactions happen at the same rate.
Step 3: Recognize that increasing the temperature adds heat to the system.
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 reaction is exothermic, adding heat will cause the equilibrium to shift to the left, favoring the reactants.
Step 6: Conclude that increasing temperature in an exothermic reaction decreases the amount of products formed.
Le Chatelier's Principle – This principle states that if a dynamic equilibrium is disturbed by changing the conditions, the position of equilibrium shifts to counteract the change.
Exothermic Reactions – Exothermic reactions release heat, and the heat can be considered a product in the equilibrium expression.
Equilibrium Shift – Understanding how changes in temperature affect the position of equilibrium in a chemical reaction.