I hope this post will clarify any problems you may still have with Le Chatelier's Principle, whether it's simply remembering the different effects of various changes, or something else.
I like to think of this principle like sand in a sand box:
If you add sand (more product in this case), the sand will be forced to slide down to maintain a horizontal-like equilibrium. Removing temperature will also cause the same reaction.But let's say we have another situation:
If you add sand (more product and heat in this case), the sand will be forced to slide down towards the product side in order to maintain a horizontal-like equilibrium.
Notice pressure/volume was not mentioned (because this equilibrium equation has an equal amount of moles on each side (1 + 1 and 2)). It is easy to remember that when pressure is increased or volume is decreased (inversely proportional!), the side with the lower amount of moles is favored.
Hi Joey...
ReplyDeleteI love the visuals that you have created and the connection between increasing concentration and adding more sand. Brilliant!
I have just have one correction to make: In the first example, decreasing the temp will cause a shift to the right, not left (since the system is trying to regenerate some of the heat energy that is lost).
Why thank-you! :D
DeleteOh whoopsies! Thanks for the correction. I'll get to it A.S.A.P.