What does Le Chatelier's Principle state about a system at equilibrium when disturbed?

What does Le Chatelier's Principle state about a system at equilibrium when disturbed?

• A. It shifts to restore equilibrium.
• B. It remains unchanged.
• C. It shifts toward the side with fewer molecules.
• D. It dissolves to form more products.

Answer: (A)

Le Chatelier's Principle says that a system at equilibrium will respond to any disturbance—like changing concentrations, adding or removing heat, or altering pressure—in a way that counteracts the change and establishes a new balance. If you add more reactant, the equilibrium shifts toward the products to use up the extra reactant. If you remove a product, the system shifts toward producing more product to replace what was lost. Temperature tweaks act according to the reaction’s heat flow: increasing temperature drives the endothermic direction, while decreasing temperature drives the exothermic direction. For gases, raising pressure pushes the equilibrium toward the side with fewer moles of gas. In all these cases, the effect is to restore equilibrium under the new conditions.

Le Chatelier's Principle says that a system at equilibrium will respond to any disturbance—like changing concentrations, adding or removing heat, or altering pressure—in a way that counteracts the change and establishes a new balance. If you add more reactant, the equilibrium shifts toward the products to use up the extra reactant. If you remove a product, the system shifts toward producing more product to replace what was lost. Temperature tweaks act according to the reaction’s heat flow: increasing temperature drives the endothermic direction, while decreasing temperature drives the exothermic direction. For gases, raising pressure pushes the equilibrium toward the side with fewer moles of gas. In all these cases, the effect is to restore equilibrium under the new conditions.