Chapter 24 Introduction
If starting substances or products are added to an equilibrium mixture, the composition adjusts to maintain equilibrium. Sometimes, this change is visible as a color change.
© 1992 Richard Megna—Fundamental Photographs
CHAPTER 24
Changing Conditions
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In this chapter, you will study
changing conditions for an equilibrium mixture
how to use Le Châtelier’s principle to explain how processes respond to stresses
the chemical equilibrium of acid-base indicators
equilibrium constants for different types of reactions
When a system is at equilibrium, there is a dynamic balance between the forward process and the reverse process. At equilibrium, the rate of the forward process is equal to the rate of the reverse process. However, conditions do not always stay the same for systems at equilibrium. When conditions change, an equilibrium mixture will adjust in a predictable way to those changes so as to reduce the effect of the change and maintain equal rates.