Use the reaction to answer the question.
In a reaction with gases, a scientist wants to increase the amount of reactant at equilibrium.
O^3(g) + H^2O(l) ⟷ H^2(g) + 2O^2(g)
Which of the following changes should they make and why? There is only one correct answer.
1. Increase pressure because then the reaction that forms fewer particles will increase.
2. Decrease pressure because then the reverse reaction will increase.
3. Increase pressure because then the forward reaction will increase.
4. Decrease pressure because then the reaction that forms more particles will increase.
The correct answer is 4. Decrease pressure because then the reaction that forms more particles will increase.
According to Le Chatelier's principle, when the pressure of a system is decreased, the equilibrium shifts in the direction that favors the formation of more gas molecules. In this reaction, the forward reaction forms more gas molecules (H2 and 2O2) compared to the reverse reaction (O3 and H2O). Thus, decreasing the pressure will shift the equilibrium towards the forward reaction, increasing the amount of reactant at equilibrium.
The correct answer is:
3. Increase pressure because then the forward reaction will increase.
Increasing the pressure in a reaction with gases will cause the equilibrium to shift in the direction that produces fewer gas molecules. In this particular reaction, the forward reaction has fewer gas molecules (3 moles of gas on the left side and 3 moles of gas on the right side) compared to the reverse reaction (2 moles of gas on the left side and 4 moles of gas on the right side). By increasing the pressure, the equilibrium will shift towards the side with fewer moles of gas, which is the forward reaction.
To determine the correct answer, let's first analyze the reaction and understand how changing the pressure affects it.
The given reaction is:
O^3(g) + H^2O(l) ⟷ H^2(g) + 2O^2(g)
Looking at the equation, you can observe that there are four moles of gas on the left side and three moles of gas on the right side.
Now, let's consider Le Chatelier's Principle, which states that if a system at equilibrium experiences a change in pressure, temperature, or concentration, the equilibrium will shift to counteract that change.
In this case, since we want to increase the amount of reactant at equilibrium, we need to shift the equilibrium towards the products (H^2(g) and O^2(g)).
To achieve this, we can change the pressure of the system. According to Le Chatelier's Principle, increasing the pressure will favor the side of the reaction with fewer moles of gas.
Considering that the left side has four moles of gas, and the right side has only three moles of gas, increasing the pressure will shift the equilibrium towards the right side. This means the forward reaction (formation of H^2(g) and O^2(g)) will increase.
Therefore, the correct answer is:
3. Increase pressure because then the forward reaction will increase.