Consider the following equilibrium reaction: NaHCO3(s) Na2CO3(s) + H2O(g) + CO2(g) When 100 g of sodium hydrogen carbonate are added to a reaction vessel, the temperature is increased to 200°C, and the system comes to equilibrium. What happens to the partial pressure of carbon dioxide in this system if 50 g of sodium carbonate are added?
To answer this question, we need to consider Le Chatelier's principle, which states that when a system at equilibrium is subjected to a change in temperature, pressure, or concentration, the system will shift to counteract that change and establish a new equilibrium.
In this case, if we add 50 g of sodium carbonate (Na2CO3), it will react with water (H2O) to form sodium hydrogen carbonate (NaHCO3). This reaction will consume water and carbon dioxide (CO2). Therefore, there will be a decrease in the concentrations of CO2 and H2O in the system.
According to Le Chatelier's principle, when the system experiences a decrease in the concentration of CO2, it will try to counteract that change by shifting the equilibrium to produce more CO2.
Since the partial pressure of a gas is directly proportional to its concentration, if the system shifts to produce more CO2, the partial pressure of CO2 will increase.
So, when 50 g of sodium carbonate is added to the system, the partial pressure of carbon dioxide will increase.