What is the effect of adding an inert gas to a reaction at equilibrium at constant volume?
Practice Questions
1 question
Q1
What is the effect of adding an inert gas to a reaction at equilibrium at constant volume?
Shifts the equilibrium to the right
Shifts the equilibrium to the left
No effect
Increases the reaction rate
Adding an inert gas at constant volume does not change the partial pressures of the reactants or products, thus having no effect on the equilibrium position.
Questions & Step-by-step Solutions
1 item
Q
Q: What is the effect of adding an inert gas to a reaction at equilibrium at constant volume?
Solution: Adding an inert gas at constant volume does not change the partial pressures of the reactants or products, thus having no effect on the equilibrium position.
Steps: 5
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: Realize that the partial pressures of the reactants and products depend only on their amounts and not on the total pressure of the system.
Step 5: Conclude that since the partial pressures of the reactants and products remain unchanged, the position of the equilibrium does not shift.
