For the equilibrium reaction N2(g) + 3H2(g) ⇌ 2NH3(g), what happens if the volume of the container is decreased?
Practice Questions
1 question
Q1
For the equilibrium reaction N2(g) + 3H2(g) ⇌ 2NH3(g), what happens if the volume of the container is decreased?
Shift to the right
Shift to the left
No change
Increase in temperature
Decreasing the volume increases the pressure, which shifts the equilibrium to the side with fewer moles of gas, favoring the production of NH3.
Questions & Step-by-step Solutions
1 item
Q
Q: For the equilibrium reaction N2(g) + 3H2(g) ⇌ 2NH3(g), what happens if the volume of the container is decreased?
Solution: Decreasing the volume increases the pressure, which shifts the equilibrium to the side with fewer moles of gas, favoring the production of NH3.
Steps: 6
Step 1: Understand that the reaction involves gases: N2, H2, and NH3.
Step 2: Recognize that decreasing the volume of the container increases the pressure inside the container.
Step 3: Know that in a chemical equilibrium, the system will respond to changes to minimize the effect of that change.
Step 4: Identify the number of moles of gas on each side of the reaction: 1 mole of N2 + 3 moles of H2 = 4 moles of gas on the left side, and 2 moles of NH3 on the right side.
Step 5: Since there are fewer moles of gas (2 moles) on the right side (NH3) compared to the left side (4 moles), the equilibrium will shift to the right to reduce the pressure.
Step 6: Conclude that decreasing the volume favors the production of NH3.
