Question

Adding heat to an exothermic reaction will have what effect? Reactants ↔ products + heat View Available Hint(s) Adding heat to an exothermic reaction will have what effect? Reactants ↔ products + heat No effect and K doesn't change. Causes the equilibrium to shift to the left, in favor of making more reactants, and K decreases Causes the equilibrium to shift to the right, in the direction of making more reactants, and K increases. Causes the equilibrium to shift to the right, in the direction of making more products, and K increases.

Answer 1

Causes the equilibrium to shift to the left, in favor of making more reactants, and K decreases.

Step-by-step explanation:

Le Châtelier's principle states that if there is a stress in equilibrium, the reaction will shift to restore the equilibrium. An exothermic reaction loses heat for the surroundings, so the equilibrium must be represented as:

Reactants ⇔ Products + Heat

Then, when more heat is added, to restore the equilibrium, the reaction shift to the left ("consuming" heat), in favor of making more reactants.

The equilibrium constant (K) is:

K = [Products]/[Reactants]

So, [Reactants] will increase, and K must decrease.