Question

Consider the following reaction at equilibrium. What effect will increasing the pressure of the reaction mixture have on the system?

1) The reaction will shift to the left.
2) The reaction will shift to the right.
3) The reaction will not be affected.
4) The reaction will become faster.

Answer 1

Increasing the pressure of a reaction at equilibrium with different number of gas moles on each side will cause the system to shift towards the side with fewer moles of gas, according to Le Chatelier's principle.

Step-by-step explanation:

When the pressure of a reaction mixture at equilibrium is increased, the system will react according to Le Chatelier's principle. If we specifically consider a reaction where the reactant side has 1 mole of gas and the product side has 2 moles, increasing the pressure will cause the equilibrium to shift toward the side with the fewer number of moles. Therefore, the equilibrium will shift to the left, favoring the reverse reaction with the fewest moles of gas.