The chemical reaction which occurs during the Haber process is:
Nitrogen + Hydrogen Ammonia
N2(g) + 3H2(g) 2NH3(g)
Use Le Chatelier’s principle to explain what would happen if you raised the
temperature of this reaction.
According to Le Chatelier's principle, if you increase the temperature of a chemical reaction that involves gases, the equilibrium will shift in the direction that consumes heat. In the case of the Haber process, the forward reaction (N2 + 3H2 → 2NH3) is exothermic, meaning it releases heat. Therefore, raising the temperature would shift the equilibrium towards the reactants (N2 and H2) in an attempt to consume the excess heat. This would result in a decrease in the yield of ammonia and a lower conversion rate of the reactants to products. In industrial applications of the Haber process, the temperature is typically maintained at around 450°C to achieve a good balance of equilibrium yield and reaction rate.
According to Le Chatelier's principle, if you raise the temperature of the reaction, the system will try to counteract the increase in temperature by shifting the equilibrium in the direction that absorbs heat. In the Haber process, the reaction is exothermic, meaning it releases heat.
By raising the temperature, the system will shift towards the reactant side to absorb the excess heat. In this case, it means that the yield of ammonia would decrease.
Additionally, using Le Chatelier's principle, we can observe that increasing the temperature will increase the average kinetic energy of the molecules, leading to more frequent collisions between the molecules. Since the forward reaction is favored by the collision of nitrogen and hydrogen molecules, increasing the temperature would enhance the reaction rate in the forward direction.
However, this increased reaction rate will also result in an increased rate of the reverse reaction, where ammonia molecules decompose back into nitrogen and hydrogen. As a result, the equilibrium would shift slightly to the reactant side, resulting in a decrease in the amount of ammonia formed.
To summarize, increasing the temperature in the Haber process would lead to a decrease in the yield of ammonia due to the exothermic nature of the reaction and the equilibrium shift to counteract the increase in temperature.