Factors Affecting Chemical Equilibrium

Factors that affect chemical equilibrium are:

Change in Temperature

The change in temperature certainly affects the chemical equilibrium. When the temperature is increased, the equilibrium shifts to the direction of an endothermic reaction whereas the decrease in temperature will shift the equilibrium in the direction of exothermic reactions.

Change in Volume

When the volume of the gaseous mixture at equilibrium is increased, it decreases the number of moles per unit volume of reactants and products and the equilibrium will shift towards the direction of a larger number of gas molecules.

However, if the volume of the gaseous mixture at equilibrium is decreased, the equilibrium will shift toward the direction of a smaller number of gas molecules.

Change in Pressure

Pressure and volume are inversely proportional to each other, hence when pressure is increased, the volume will decrease and vice versa. So, the change in pressure shows the opposite effect as that of the change in volume.

Therefore, with an increase in pressure, the equilibrium will shift towards the direction of a smaller number of gas molecules, and with a decrease in pressure, the equilibrium will shift towards the direction of a larger number of gas molecules.

Change in Concentration

A change in concentration of reactant or product changes the rate of equilibrium. If the concentration of reactants is increased, the equilibrium shifts forward, and the formation of the product increases. If the concentration of the product is increased, the equilibrium shifts backward, causing more formation of reactants.

Effect of Catalyst

The addition of a catalyst does not affect equilibrium, however, it is helpful to speed up the reaction. Catalyst favors both forward and backward reactions equally and thus there is no net effect on the equilibrium.

Effect of Addition of Inert Gas

If inert gas is added at a fixed volume, the total pressure will increase and there will be no effect on chemical equilibrium.

However, if the inert gas is added at a fixed pressure, this will increase the volume and the equilibrium will shift in the direction of the increased number of gas molecules.

Read More,

• Factors Affecting Chemical Equilibrium
• Laws of Chemical Equilibrium

Chemical Equilibrium is a condition of a reversible chemical reaction, where the rate of forward and backward reactions are equal. In Chemical equilibrium, the concentrations of the products and reactants remain constant i.e. it does not change with time. This is a state after which there are no observable changes in the properties and the system becomes constant. In this state, the forward reaction proceeds at the same rate as the reverse reaction.

In this article, we will learn more about chemical equilibrium, its types, its examples, and more, so Let’s get started.