In a reaction at equilibrium, what happens to the enthalpy change (ΔH) if the te
Practice Questions
Q1
In a reaction at equilibrium, what happens to the enthalpy change (ΔH) if the temperature is increased?
ΔH increases.
ΔH decreases.
ΔH remains constant.
ΔH becomes negative.
Questions & Step-by-Step Solutions
In a reaction at equilibrium, what happens to the enthalpy change (ΔH) if the temperature is increased?
Step 1: Understand that a chemical reaction can reach a state called equilibrium, where the forward and reverse reactions occur at the same rate.
Step 2: Know that enthalpy change (ΔH) refers to the heat energy change during a reaction.
Step 3: Learn about Le Chatelier's principle, which states that if a system at equilibrium is disturbed, it will adjust to counteract the disturbance.
Step 4: Recognize that increasing the temperature adds heat to the system.
Step 5: Determine how the reaction responds to the added heat: if the reaction is exothermic (releases heat), it will shift to the left (favoring reactants) to absorb the extra heat.
Step 6: If the reaction is endothermic (absorbs heat), it will shift to the right (favoring products) to use the extra heat.
Step 7: Conclude that the enthalpy change (ΔH) remains the same for the reaction itself, but the position of equilibrium changes based on whether the reaction is exothermic or endothermic.
