Effect of a Perturbation on the Chemical Equilibrium: Comparison with Le Châtelier's Principle
Emilio Martínez Torres
Departament of Physical Chemistry, Escuela de Magisterio, University of Castilla-La Mancha, Ronda de Calatrava 3, 13003 Ciudad Real, Spain
This article develops a general thermodynamic treatment to predict the direction of shift in a chemical equilibrium when it is subjected to a stress. This treatment gives an inequality that relates the change in the perturbed variable and the change that the equilibrium shift produces in the conjugated variable. To illustrate the generality of this approach, it has been applied to predict the direction of shift caused by changes of pressure, volume, and amount of substance. In this last case, the well-known unexpected shift in the ammonia synthesis equilibrium upon addition of nitrogen is easily explained. From the above referred inequality and the stability criteria of thermodynamics some conclusions have been obtained about the direction of shift in terms of extensive and extensive variables. This article is suitable for physical chemistry courses.
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Citation
Torres, Emilio Martínez. J. Chem. Educ.2007 84 516.
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