Consider the following reaction:
2NO(g)+O2(g)-->2 NO2(g)+ energy
if the number of moles of oxygen is increased to two moles, the
a. reaction speeds up
b. reaction slows down
c. temperature increases
d. temperature decreases
If you add excess oxygen, the chance for a random proximate collision between an NO and O2 molecule is increased, so the a) is true. This is especially true if the reaction was in a closed container.
Thank-you
To determine how the given reaction will be affected when the number of moles of oxygen is increased, we need to analyze the reaction stoichiometry and the Le Chatelier's principle.
In the balanced equation 2NO(g) + O2(g) --> 2NO2(g) + energy, we can see that the stoichiometric coefficient of oxygen (O2) is 1. This means that the reaction consumes one mole of O2 for every two moles of NO that are consumed.
When the number of moles of oxygen (O2) is increased to two moles, compared to the original balanced equation which has one mole of oxygen, there is an excess of oxygen available for the reaction. According to Le Chatelier's principle, an increase in the concentration of a reactant will shift the reaction equilibrium towards the product side to offset the increase.
In this case, the increased concentration of O2 will drive the reaction to produce more NO2 and consume the excess oxygen. As a result, the reaction speeds up and more NO2 is formed.
Therefore, the answer is:
a. reaction speeds up