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Consider this chemical system which is at equilibrium - HSC - SSCE Chemistry - Question 24 - 2013 - Paper 1
Question 24
Consider this chemical system which is at equilibrium. X(g) + Y(g) ⇌ Z(g) + heat (a) Explain the effect of decreasing the volume of the reaction vessel. (b) Expla... show full transcript
Worked Solution & Example Answer:Consider this chemical system which is at equilibrium - HSC - SSCE Chemistry - Question 24 - 2013 - Paper 1
Step 1
Explain the effect of decreasing the volume of the reaction vessel.
Answer
Decreasing the volume of the reaction vessel will increase the pressure of the system. According to Le Chatelier's principle, the system will respond to this change by shifting the equilibrium position to favor the side with fewer moles of gas. In this case, there are two moles of gaseous reactants (X and Y) on the left side and one mole of gaseous product (Z) on the right side, hence the reaction will shift to the right.
This shift will result in an increased yield of Z(g) as the forward reaction is favored.
Step 2
Explain the effect of adding a catalyst to this equilibrium mixture.
Answer
Adding a catalyst to the equilibrium mixture will have no effect on the position of the equilibrium. A catalyst functions by providing an alternative pathway for the reaction, effectively lowering the activation energy for both the forward and reverse reactions equally. While it can speed up the rate at which equilibrium is reached, it does not change the concentrations of the reactants and products at equilibrium.