Question

) The reaction below is exothermic: 2SO2 (g) O2 (g) 2SO3 (g) Le Cha^ telier's Principle predicts that __________ will result in an increase in the number of moles of SO3 (g) in the reaction container. A) increasing the pressure B) increasing the volume of the container C) removing some oxygen D) decreasing the pressure E) increasing the temperature

Answer 1

A) increasing the pressure

Step-by-step explanation:

Given the exothermic reaction:

2SO₂(g) + O₂(g) ↔ 2SO₃(g)

the question asks what will make the number of moles of SO₃(g) to increase.

When an equilibrium is disturbed, the system will shift in order to counteract the change (see Le Chatelier's Principle) So when the pressure is increased in a reaction involving gases, the equilibrium will shift trying to decrease the number of moles (because pressure is produced by molecules hitting the container), that is in this case it will shift towards the right side, towards the production of SO₃, thus increasing the number of moles of SO₃.

The number of moles in the right side is 2 and the number of moles in the left side is 3.