Question

According to Le Châtelier's principle, how will an increase in concentration of a reactant affect the equilibrium system?

O Shift it toward the products
O Shift it toward the reactants
O Shift it toward the side with higher total mole concentration
O Shift it toward the side

Answer 1

An increase in reactant concentration will shift the equilibrium toward the products according to Le Châtelier's principle, as the system seeks to counteract the change and restore equilibrium.

Step-by-step explanation:

According to Le Châtelier's principle, an increase in concentration of a reactant affects the equilibrium system by shifting it toward the products. This response occurs because the system seeks to counteract the change imposed on it, which in this case is the increased concentration of a reactant.

As a result, the reaction will consume some of the added reactant by producing more product, effectively shifting the equilibrium to the right. If, on the other hand, the concentration of a product were increased, the reaction would shift to the left, favoring the formation of reactants to reduce the concentration of the product.

According to Le Chatelier's principle, if pressure is increased, then the equilibrium shifts to the side with the fewer number of moles of gas. This particular reaction shows a total of 4 mol of gas as reactants and 2 mol of gas as products, so the reaction shifts toward the products side.