Q.State Le-Chatelier's principle. Apply this principle on the following reaction in terms of concentration, temperature, and pressure to obtain maximum yield of ammonia: N2(g) + 3H2(g) <=> 2NH3(g) ; delta H = -92.38 kJ/mol
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Start your 14-day free trial to unlock the full solution →Le-Chatelier's principle says an equilibrium shifts to oppose an imposed change; for the exothermic ammonia synthesis, this means high concentration of reactants, low temperature, and high pressure all favour more NH3.
Le-Chatelier's principle: if a system at dynamic equilibrium is subjected to a change in concentration, temperature, pressure, or volume, the equilibrium shifts in the direction that tends to counteract (or partially offset) the effect of that change, so as to re-establish a new equilibrium.
Applying this to N2(g) + 3H2(g) <=> 2NH3(g); delta-H = -92.38 kJ/mol, to obtain the maximum yield of ammonia:
Concentration: increasing the concentration of the reactants (N2 and/or H2), or continuously removing the product NH3 as it forms, shifts the equilibrium to the right (forward direction), since the system responds by consuming more of the added reactant / replacing the removed product -- both increase the yield of NH3.
Temperature: since the forward reaction is exothermic (delta-H is negative, heat is released on forming NH3), by Le-Chatelier's principle a LOWER temperature favours the forward (exothermic) reaction and shifts equilibrium towards more NH3 (the reverse endothermic decomposition of NH3 is favoured by high temperature). However, purely lowering temperature also slows down the rate of reaction; industrially (Haber process) a compromise, moderately elevated temperature (around 700 K / 400-450 degrees C) is used together with a catalyst, to get a reasonable rate while still keeping a workable equilibrium yield.
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