Final answer:
Increasing the volume of the reaction mixture for the reaction 2 H₂S(g) + 3 O₂(g) will cause the equilibrium to shift to the left towards the reactants as the system seeks to compensate
Step-by-step explanation:
When the volume of the reaction mixture is increased for the equilibrium reaction 2 H₂S(g) + 3 O₂(g), the system experiences a decrease in pressure.
According to Le Chatelier's Principle, the equilibrium will shift to counteract the change.
Because there are more moles of gas on the reactant side (2 moles of H₂S and 3 moles of O₂ for a total of 5 moles) compared to the product side, increasing the volume will cause a shift to the left, towards the side with more moles of gas to better occupy the increased volume.
This effectively means that a change in volume does not alter the equilibrium constant, which is solely dependent on temperature, but rather shifts the position of the equilibrium.
The correct answer is B. The reaction will shift to the left in the direction of reactants. This effect occurs because the reaction will attempt to increase the pressure by shifting towards the side with more gas moles, which in this case, is the reactant side.