Year 12s: what will be the first way you research your future options? >>

GCSE-equlibrium and concentration

Right, i understand the concept of equilibrium, and also how temperature and in certain cases pressure affect it.

However, in my book, I've drawn the reversible reaction symbol, and above the arrow pointing to the right (products) I've written low pressure, and I've written high pressure on the reverse arrow.

Is this always the same way, for different reactions?

I've written below, this "if pressure is increased, then the system wants to decrease pressure, so equilibrium shifts to the right so yield rate increases.

Is that because the forward reaction is for low pressure?

Reply 1

f45

Just looked in the textbook, when it's talking about the Haber Process.

There are 4volumes of gas on LHS, and 2 on RHS.

Increasing the pressure, moves equilibrium position to left hand side, whcih results in a decrease of pressure.

This means equilibrium position moves to the RHS to reduce pressure, so more ammonia is formed at a higher pressure.
_____________________

why is the RHS decreasing pressure, shouldn't it be gaining it???

Reply 2

purple-girl

Right, the forward reaction produces less moles of gas. When the pressure increases the system aims to reduce the pressure, and to do this the equilibrium shifts to the side with less moles of gas-basically so there'll be less moles of gas in the system so less pressure. As the forward reaction has less moles of gas, it is favoured, and the yeild increases.