A chemist investigated methods to improve the synthesis of sulfur trioxide from sulfur dioxide and oxygen.
2SO2(g) + O2(g) ⇌ 2SO3(g)
The chemist:
• mixed together 1.00 mol SO2 and 0.500 mol O2 with a catalyst at room temperature
• compressed the gas mixture to a volume of 250 cm3
• allowed the mixture to reach equilibrium at constant temperature and without changing the total
gas volume.
Explain what would happen to the pressure as the system was allowed to reach equilibrium.
Why does pressure decrease in this question?