For the reaction 2 N2O <===>O2 + 2 N2 what happens to the equilibrium position if the pressure is increased
When a system in equilibrium is subjected to a pressure change increase, the reaction shifts to the side with fewer moles.
When the pressure is increased, the system will try to decrease the pressure by shifting towards the side of the reaction with fewer gas molecules. In this reaction, there are more moles of gas on the reactant side (2 moles of N2O) compared to the product side (1 mole of O2 and 2 moles of N2).
Therefore, an increase in pressure will cause the equilibrium position to shift in the direction of the products, towards the side with fewer gas molecules. This means that more O2 and N2 will be formed, and some of the N2O will decompose to compensate for the increased pressure.
To determine what happens to the equilibrium position when the pressure is increased, we need to consider Le Chatelier's principle. According to Le Chatelier's principle, when a stress is applied to a system in equilibrium, the system will adjust in such a way as to minimize the effect of the stress.
In this case, increasing the pressure is a stress on the system. To understand how the equilibrium position responds to that stress, we need to analyze the reaction stoichiometry.
Looking at the balanced equation, we see that the reaction involves the formation of O2 and N2 from N2O. Since the coefficients of O2 and N2 are positive, their formation corresponds to a decrease in the number of moles of gas. On the other hand, the mole number of gas on the left side of the equation (2 N2O) is greater than that on the right side (O2 + 2 N2), suggesting an overall decrease in the total moles of gas.
Therefore, an increase in pressure would cause the equilibrium position to shift in the direction that reduces the total number of moles of gas. In this case, the equilibrium would shift to the left, favoring the reaction's reactants (2 N2O) and decreasing the production of O2 and N2.
Essentially, increasing the pressure will cause the system to shift in the direction that decreases the total volume of gas, helping to alleviate the pressure increase.