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Q.Explain various factors affecting the state of equilibrium.

Jammu Kashmir JkboseJammu and Kashmir Board of School Education (Class 11) 2025Subjective· 3mImportance★★★★★
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Le Chatelier's principle: if a system at equilibrium is disturbed by a change in concentration, pressure, volume or temperature, the equilibrium shifts in the direction that counteracts (partially offsets) that change.

  1. Concentration: Increasing the concentration of a reactant shifts the equilibrium in the forward direction (toward products), to consume the added reactant. Similarly, removing a product (or increasing a product's concentration by adding it) shifts the equilibrium forward (or backward respectively).

  2. Pressure and Volume (for gaseous equilibria): Increasing the pressure (i.e. decreasing the volume) shifts the equilibrium toward the side with the FEWER number of moles of gas, since that side occupies less volume, reducing the pressure increase. Decreasing pressure (increasing volume) shifts equilibrium toward the side with MORE moles of gas. If the number of moles of gas is the same on both sides, pressure/volume changes have no effect on the equilibrium position.

  3. Temperature: For an exothermic reaction (releases heat), increasing temperature shifts equilibrium backward (toward reactants), since the system tries to absorb the added heat by favouring the endothermic (reverse) direction; decreasing temperature favours the forward (exothermic) direction. The opposite holds for an endothermic forward reaction.

  4. Catalyst: A catalyst speeds up both the forward and reverse reactions equally, so it helps the system reach equilibrium faster but does NOT shift the position of equilibrium or change the value of the equilibrium constant.

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