Imagine that the system is allowed to come to equilibrium. How would each of the following changes affect the equilibrium? Indicate whether the change would favor the formation of more products, more reactants, or would not lead to any change?

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1 Answer
Sep 22, 2016

Here is my reasoning.

Let's treat the heat as a product and rewrite the equation as

Ca(NO3)2(aq)+CO2(g)+2NaOH(aq)CaCO3(s)+2NaNO3(aq)+H2O(l) + heat

Now, we can apply Le Châtelier's Principle to answer the questions.

A. Increasing the temperature

Adding more heat (on the right) causes the position of equilibrium to shift to the left.

The change favours the formation of more reactant.

B. Increasing the partial pressure of CO2

Increasing the partial pressure of CO2 (on the left) causes the position of equilibrium to shift to the right.

The change favours the formation of more product.

C. Adding more NaOH

Adding more NaOH (on the left) causes the position of equilibrium to shift to the right.

The change favours the formation of more product.

D. Adding more CaCO3(s)

Adding more CaCO3(s) does not change the concentration (density) of CaCO3(s).

The change leads to no change in the position of equilibrium.

E. Adding LiNO3(aq)

The net ionic equation is

Ca2+(aq)+CO2(g)+2OH-(aq)CaCO3(s)+H2O(l)

Neither Li+ nor NO-3 participates in the reaction (they are spectator ions).

The change leads to no change in the position of equilibrium.