Concentration Changes at Equilibrium

What happens when more reactant is added to an equilibrium mixture?

Equilibrium shifts towards the products.

What happens when more product is added?

Equilibrium shifts towards the reactants.

What happens when reactant concentration decreases?

Equilibrium shifts towards the reactants.

What happens when product concentration decreases?

Equilibrium shifts towards the products.

Why does increasing reactant concentration shift equilibrium to the right?

The system responds by consuming some of the additional reactant.

Why does increasing product concentration shift equilibrium to the left?

The system responds by consuming some of the additional product.

Why does removing a product favour further product formation?

The system responds by replacing some of the removed product.

How can continuously removing a product improve industrial yield?

It encourages further conversion of reactants into products.

Does changing concentration alter the equilibrium constant at constant temperature?

No, the equilibrium constant remains unchanged.

What happens immediately after adding a reactant?

The forward reaction rate initially increases.

What happens as the system adjusts to the concentration change?

The reaction rates change until a new dynamic equilibrium is established.

Why do concentrations become constant again after an equilibrium shift?

The forward and reverse reactions eventually return to equal rates.