Which of the following changes would shift the reaction shown here to the right (product side)? 4HCl (g) + O2(g) < = > 2Cl2 (g) + 2 H2O (g)
addition of Cl2***
decrease of pressure
increase of pressure
removal of O2
No. Adding Cl2 will shift the reaction to the left.
Removing O2 will shift to the left.
To shift the reaction to the right (product side), you would need to increase the concentration of products or decrease the concentration of reactants. Out of the given options, the one that would shift the reaction to the right is the addition of Cl2. By adding more Cl2, you are increasing the concentration of one of the products, which would drive the reaction towards the product side.
To determine which changes would shift the reaction to the right (product side), we need to understand Le Chatelier's principle. According to Le Chatelier's principle, a system at equilibrium will respond to changes by shifting in a way that minimizes the change and re-establishes equilibrium.
In the given reaction:
4HCl (g) + O2(g) <=> 2Cl2 (g) + 2H2O (g)
1. Addition of Cl2:
Since Cl2 is one of the products in the reaction, adding more Cl2 would shift the reaction to the left (reactant side) to reduce the concentration of Cl2 and establish a new equilibrium.
2. Decrease of pressure:
Pressure is determined by the number of gas molecules in the system. In this reaction, the number of gas molecules is the same on both sides of the equation (5 moles of gas on both sides). Therefore, decreasing the pressure would not cause a shift in the reaction.
3. Increase of pressure:
Similarly to the previous point, since the number of gas molecules is the same on both sides of the equation, increasing the pressure would not cause a shift in the reaction.
4. Removal of O2:
Removing O2, which is one of the reactants, would decrease the concentration of O2 and disturb the equilibrium. According to Le Chatelier's principle, the reaction would shift to the right (product side) to compensate for the loss of O2 and establish a new equilibrium.
Therefore, the correct answer is: Removal of O2.