Question

The following question refer to the following equilibrium in which all reactants and products are gases:

CH₄ + H₂O ⇌ CH₃OH + H₂ + Heat
Indicate the effect of the changing condition on the position of equilibrium. Refer to equilibrium, Add CH₄ to the mixture

Answer 1

Adding CH4 to the equilibrium mixture CH₄ + H₂O ⇌ CH₃OH + H₂ + Heat will shift the equilibrium to the right, meaning more CH₃OH and H₂ will be produced to counteract the change.

Step-by-step explanation:

When CH4 (methane) is added to the equilibrium mixture of CH₄ + H₂O ⇌ CH₃OH + H₂ + Heat, the position of equilibrium will shift according to Le Chatelier’s principle. Since we are adding more of a reactant (CH4) to the system, the system will respond by consuming some of that added methane to form more products (CH₃OH and H₂), thereby moving the equilibrium to the right. This principle is based on the idea that if a dynamic equilibrium is disturbed by changing the conditions, the position of equilibrium will move to counteract the change.

This process is an example of an application of Le Chatelier’s principle to predict the effect of a change in concentration on the position of equilibrium. In this case, increasing the concentration of CH4 drives the reaction towards the production of more methanol (CH₃OH) and hydrogen gas (H₂). Hence, the concentrations of CH₃OH and H₂ will increase while the concentrations of CH4 and H₂O will decrease until the new equilibrium is established.