Question

Which will drive the equilibrium to form more Cu(s)? Cu2O(s) + CO(g) ⇌ 2Cu(s) + CO2(g)

a) remove CO(g)
b) remove CO2(g)
c) add a catalyst d) increase the volume of the container"

Answer 1

To form more solid copper (Cu) in the given reaction, the equilibrium can be shifted by removing CO₂(g), which will drive the reaction to produce more Cu(s).

Step-by-step explanation:

To drive the equilibrium of the reaction Cu₂O(s) + CO(g) ⇌ 2Cu(s) + CO₂(g) towards the formation of more solid copper (Cu), we should apply Le Chatelier's Principle, which states that if a dynamic equilibrium is disturbed by changing the conditions, the position of equilibrium will shift to counteract the change.

To increase the production of Cu(s), we can:

• Remove CO₂(g): This will decrease the concentration of a product, and the equilibrium will shift to the right to produce more Cu(s) and CO₂(g).

Adding a catalyst does not affect the position of equilibrium; it only speeds up the rate at which equilibrium is achieved. Increasing the volume of the container would decrease the pressure, which generally shifts the equilibrium towards the side with more moles of gas, but since there's an equal number of moles of gases on each side of this reaction, it would have no effect. Removing CO(g) would shift the equilibrium to the left, away from the production of Cu(s)