For the reaction N2(g) + 3H2(g) ⇌ 2NH3(g), what happens if the volume of the container is decreased?
Practice Questions
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Q1
For the reaction N2(g) + 3H2(g) ⇌ 2NH3(g), what happens if the volume of the container is decreased?
Equilibrium shifts to the left
Equilibrium shifts to the right
No change in equilibrium
Equilibrium constant changes
Decreasing the volume increases the pressure, and according to Le Chatelier's principle, the equilibrium will shift towards the side with fewer moles of gas, which is the right side in this case.
Questions & Step-by-step Solutions
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Q
Q: For the reaction N2(g) + 3H2(g) ⇌ 2NH3(g), what happens if the volume of the container is decreased?
Solution: Decreasing the volume increases the pressure, and according to Le Chatelier's principle, the equilibrium will shift towards the side with fewer moles of gas, which is the right side in this case.
Steps: 6
Step 1: Understand the reaction: N2(g) + 3H2(g) ⇌ 2NH3(g). This means nitrogen and hydrogen gases react to form ammonia gas.
Step 2: Recognize that gases take up space in a container. If we decrease the volume of the container, the gases inside are compressed.
Step 3: Know that decreasing the volume increases the pressure of the gases 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: Identify the number of moles of gas on each side of the reaction: the left side has 1 (N2) + 3 (H2) = 4 moles of gas, and the right side has 2 moles of gas (NH3).
Step 6: Since the right side has fewer moles of gas (2 moles) compared to the left side (4 moles), the equilibrium will shift to the right side to reduce the pressure.
