NaCl(s) + H2O(l) <--> Na(aq) + Cl(aq)
If you added chloride ions to the above equilibrium, what would happen to the concentration of the products, and the concentration of the reactants? I know the equilibrium would shift to the left, and I am guessing the concentration of the products will be greater than the reactants before equilibrium is reached?
The answers to your question are yes and yes. I suppose my first question is to ask how you propose to add chloride? Will you add more sodium chloride to add chloride? Too much sodium chloride and you have a saturated solution.
I think the question was asking for the Cl (aq) ions
And my question is, "How do you add Cl^-?" You can't. You must add it with some cation.
that makes sense, thanks for your help
When chloride ions are added to the equilibrium system, the equilibrium will indeed shift to the left, favoring the reactants. This occurs because the additional chloride ions can react with the sodium ions (Na+) to form more NaCl, thus decreasing the concentration of the products (Na+ and Cl- ions).
To understand why the equilibrium shifts to the left, we need to consider Le Chatelier's principle. According to this principle, when a stress is applied to a system at equilibrium, the system will adjust in a way that counteracts the stress and restores equilibrium.
In this case, the addition of chloride ions (Cl-) is a stress to the equilibrium system. To counteract this, the system will shift to the left, favoring the reaction that consumes the additional chloride ions.
As a result, the concentration of the reactants (NaCl and H2O) will increase, while the concentration of the products (Na+ and Cl-) will decrease. However, it is important to note that this shift is temporary, as the system will continue to adjust until a new equilibrium is reached.
To determine the specific change in concentrations, we would need to know the initial concentrations of the reactants and products, as well as the equilibrium constant (K). With this information, we could apply the equilibrium expression and calculate the concentrations at equilibrium.
So, in summary, the addition of chloride ions would cause the equilibrium to shift to the left, resulting in an increase in the concentration of the reactants and a decrease in the concentration of the products.