What is the effect of increasing the temperature on the equilibrium constant of
Practice Questions
Q1
What is the effect of increasing the temperature on the equilibrium constant of an exothermic reaction?
Increases
Decreases
Remains the same
Depends on the reaction
Questions & Step-by-Step Solutions
What is the effect of increasing the temperature on the equilibrium constant of an exothermic reaction?
Correct Answer: Decreases the equilibrium constant
Step 1: Understand what an exothermic reaction is. It is a reaction that releases heat.
Step 2: Know that the equilibrium constant (K) is a number that tells us the ratio of products to reactants at equilibrium.
Step 3: Remember that according to Le Chatelier's principle, if you change the conditions of a reaction at equilibrium, the system will adjust to counteract that change.
Step 4: When you increase the temperature of an exothermic reaction, you are adding heat to the system.
Step 5: The system will try to reduce the added heat by favoring the reverse reaction (the endothermic direction), which absorbs heat.
Step 6: As a result, the concentration of products decreases and the concentration of reactants increases.
Step 7: Since the equilibrium constant (K) is based on the ratio of products to reactants, a decrease in products and an increase in reactants means that K will decrease.
