6.2.3

Equilibrium Position

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Temperature and the Position of Equilibrium

Changing the temperature for a reaction at equilibrium takes the system out of equilibrium. The system will react to try and restore the equilibrium.

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Decrease temperature

  • The position of equilibrium will shift in the exothermic direction.
    • The amount of products generated by the exothermic reaction will increase.
    • The amount of products generated by the endothermic reaction will decrease.
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Increase temperature

  • The position of equilibrium will shift in the endothermic direction.
    • The amount of products generated by the endothermic reaction will increase.
    • The amount of products generated by the exothermic reaction will decrease.

Pressure and the Position of Equilibrium

Pressure changes only affect reactions that involve gases. To predict what happens after a change in pressure, we must look at balanced equations to see how many gas molecules are on each side of the equation.

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Increase pressure

  • The position of equilibrium will shift to favour the reaction that produces the fewest gas molecules.
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Decrease pressure

  • The position of equilibrium will shift towards the side of the reaction that produces the most gas molecules.

Jump to other topics

1Atomic Structure

2Chemical Bonding

3Quantitative Chemistry

4Chemical Changes

5Energy Changes

6The Rate & Extent of Chemical Change

7Organic Chemistry

8Chemical Analysis

9Chemistry of the Atmosphere

10Using Resources

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