The position of equilibrium indicates the extent of a chemical reaction. If the position of equilibrium moves to the right, more product is made. If the position of equilibrium shifts to the left, less product is made or more product breaks down into the reactants in the reverse reaction. Le Chatelier's principle states that when a system in equilibrium is subjected to an external change, the system readjusts itself to minimise the effect of that change.
Le Chatelier's Principle
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Specification: AQA Chemistry (7404), AS-level, 3.1.6.1 Chemical equilibria and Le Chatelier's principle. Topic: Equilibria.
Key terms in this lesson
- Position of equilibrium
- The relative amounts of reactants and products present when a reversible reaction has reached equilibrium.
More in Equilibria
- Dynamic Equilibrium
- Chemical Equilibria
- Changing Concentrations
- Changing Pressure
- Changing Temperature
- Catalysts
- Equilibrium Reactions in Industry
- Ammonia
All 20 lessons in Equilibria · All AQA AS-level Chemistry topics