Disturbances to Equilibrium

In a reversible reaction, when concentrations of reactants or products are changed, the

system is no longer at equilibrium.

The system will only reach equilibrium when the concentrations of the reactants and
products change in order to equalise again.

Changing the Concentrations of Reactants and Products

 When reactant concentration increases, more products will be formed. If an
equilibrium is disturbed by increasing the concentration of a reactant, then the
system will oppose the increase in concentration and act to decrease the
concentration of the reactant. It does this by increasing the rate at which the
reactant is used up, and favouring the forward reaction. This increases the rate of
formation of the product.
 When product concentration increases, more reactants will be formed. If an
equilibrium is disturbed by increasing the concentration of a product, then the
system will oppose the increase and act to decrease the concentration of the
product. It does this by increasing the rate at which the product turns into
reactants, and favouring the reverse reaction, increasing its rate.

Example: The Formation of Ammonia

Let’s look at this example of a reversible reaction, involving the formation of ammonia.

N2 + 3H2 ⇌ 2NH3

If we increase the amount of nitrogen, then the system will act to oppose the increase
and act to decrease the amount of nitrogen. The forward reaction is favoured. This
causes an increase in formation of ammonia, NH3.

If we increase the amount of ammonia, then the system will act to oppose the increase
and act to decrease the amount of ammonia. The reverse reaction is favoured. This is in
order to reduce the concentration of ammonia, whilst increasing the amount of nitrogen
and hydrogen formed.
Changing the Temperature of a Reaction

As previously mentioned, reversible reactions have two different directions. One

direction is exothermic, whilst the other direction is endothermic.

Endothermic and Exothermic Directions

If the temperature of a system is increased, then the equilibrium will shift to decrease
the temperature. Therefore, the reaction will proceed in the endothermic direction (as
this takes in heat energy from the surroundings).

If the temperature of a system is decreased, then the equilibrium will shift to increase
the temperature. Therefore, the reaction will proceed in the exothermic direction (as
this gives out heat energy to the surroundings).

Example: The Formation of Ammonia

N2 + 3H2 ⇌ 2NH3

In this instance, the forward reaction is exothermic.

If we increase the temperature in this reaction, then the system will oppose this increase
and act to decrease the temperature. The reverse reaction is favoured. This is the
endothermic direction, which leads to the formation of N2 and H2.

If we decrease the temperature in this reaction, then the system will oppose the
decrease and act to increase the temperature. The forward reaction is favoured. This is
the exothermic direction, which leads to the formation of NH3.

But be careful! Decreasing the temperature also decreases the rate of reaction. TO
cope up with this problem, optimum temperature is used industrially.
For Haber process, the optimum temperature is 450 degree Celsius.

Pressure Changes and Equilibrium

When the pressure of a reaction is changed, the position of equilibrium will

shift. Gaseous reactions will be affected by changes in pressure, but reactions with
solids and liquids will not.

Pressure is affected by the number of molecules. The more molecules/ moles of a gas
there are, the higher the pressure.

Changing the Pressure of a Reaction

If the pressure of a system is increased, then the system will act to oppose the
increase and decrease the pressure. Therefore, the reaction will proceed in the direction
with the least number of molecules, as this will decrease the pressure.

The number of molecules can be calculated by counting the number of each type of
gaseous substance present in the reaction.

If the pressure of a system is decreased, then the system will act to oppose the
decrease and increase the pressure. Therefore, the reaction will proceed in the direction
with the most number of molecules, as this will increase the pressure.
Example: The Formation of Ammonia

N2 + 3H2 ⇌ 2NH3

In this reaction, there are 4 moles of molecules on the left and 2 moles of molecules on
the right hand side.

If we increase the pressure of this reaction, then the system will act to oppose this
increase and decrease the pressure. The reaction with the fewest number of molecules
is favoured, which leads to the formation of NH3. .

If we decrease the pressure of this reaction, then the system will act to oppose the
decrease and increase the pressure. The reaction with the largest number of molecules
is favoured, which leads to the formation of N2 and H2.

This shows that high pressure is favourable for the better yield of ammonia. But, the
high pressure equipment increases the industrial production cost. Hence, an optimum
pressure is used which can only be found by hit and trial. For Haber process, the
optimum pressure is 200atm pressure.

EXAM QUESTION.

Consider the folllowing graph to answer the following questions.

Q1. Explain the effect of change in pressure on the yield of ammonia.

Q2 Explain the effect of change in temperature on the yield of ammonia. Explain why is 350 0C
not used industrially?

EFFECTT OF CATALYST AT EQULIBRIUM: