In a reaction at equilibrium, what effect does adding an inert gas at constant v
Practice Questions
Q1
In a reaction at equilibrium, what effect does adding an inert gas at constant volume have?
Shifts the equilibrium to the right
Shifts the equilibrium to the left
No effect on the equilibrium
Increases the reaction rate
Questions & Step-by-Step Solutions
In a reaction at equilibrium, what effect does adding an inert gas at constant volume have?
Step 1: Understand what equilibrium means. In a chemical reaction at equilibrium, the rates of the forward and reverse reactions are equal.
Step 2: Know what an inert gas is. An inert gas is a gas that does not react with the substances in the reaction.
Step 3: Recognize that adding an inert gas at constant volume means you are increasing the total pressure of the system without changing the amounts of reactants or products.
Step 4: Remember that the partial pressure of a gas is the pressure it would exert if it occupied the entire volume alone. Adding an inert gas does not change the amounts of reactants or products, so their partial pressures remain the same.
Step 5: Conclude that since the partial pressures of the reactants and products do not change, the equilibrium position is not affected by the addition of the inert gas.