Question

Sulfur trioxide (SO3) can be produced using the reversible reaction shown.

Answer 1

If
SO3(g)
is removed from the following reaction, will the equilibrium shift to the left, shift to the right, or stay the same? Explain.

2SO2(g)+O2(g)⇋2SO3(g);ΔH

Explanation: The reaction shown in the question is a combination reaction between sulfur dioxide gas and oxygen gas, forming sulfur trioxide gas by the two gases combining into one product. The question's objective is to determine the direction in which the equilibrium will shift if sulfur trioxide is removed. Removing the products from the container during a reversible chemical reaction means that only the forward reaction will proceed right after the products are removed. Once more of the products are formed, the reverse reaction will start to occur.

But, when the product is removed, the system will compensate for the removal of the product by increasing the production of the product, which is done by increasing the rate of the forward reaction and shifting the equilibrium to the right.