Question

Consider the chemical equation in equilibrium.

CH4(g) + H2O(g) mc029-1.jpg CO(g) + 3H2(g)

What will happen to the equilibrium of this reaction if the pressure is increased?
The equilibrium will shift to the left to favor the reverse reaction.
The equilibrium will shift to the right to favor the forward reaction.
The equilibrium will not be affected by changing the pressure.
The equilibrium will not be reestablished after this kind of stress.

Answer 1

When pressure in a chemical reaction increases, the equilibrium will shift towards the side of the reaction with fewer moles of gas. When there is a decrease in pressure, the equilibrium will shift towards the side of the reaction with more moles of gas.Therefore; in this case; increased the Equilibrium will shift to the left and favor the reverse reaction. This is because the side of products has more moles compared to the side of reactants, thus increased in pressure will aid conversion of products to reactants.

Answer 2

The correct answer is :'The equilibrium will shift to the right to favor the forward reaction'.

Step-by-step explanation:

`CH_4(g) + H_2O(g) \rightleftharpoons CO(g) + 3H2(g)`

According to Le-Chatlier's principle,When the pressure is increased the equilibrium shifts in the direction where number of moles of gas molecules are greater .

The equilibrium will shift towards the product side because there are more number of moles of gas re greater on product side. So, the equilibrium will shift in the right direction favoring the forward reaction.