Question detail
What happens to the position of equilibrium when the temperature of an exothermic reaction is increased?
Try the question, check the answer, then read the explanation to understand the curriculum point.
At a glance
Question
Type
exam_style
Style
Topic
Chemical equilibria, Le Chatelier's principle and Kc
Question
What happens to the position of equilibrium when the temperature of an exothermic reaction is increased?
Answer
The position of equilibrium shifts to the left, favoring the reactants. This answer is anchored to Equilibrium and Le Chatelier's principle.
Explanation
The position of equilibrium shifts to the left, favoring the reactants. is the best answer because it directly supports the AQA A-Level Chemistry objective to use Le Chatelier's principle to predict the effect of temperature changes. This reasoning is anchored to Equilibrium and Le Chatelier's principle in Chemical equilibria, Le Chatelier's principle and Kc, and it separates Le Chatelier from similar A-Level ideas rather than relying on a vague recall statement. Other options are weaker if they use the wrong evidence, calculation, mechanism, observation, unit, or conclusion for this subtopic.
Common mistake
Temperature Change Misunderstanding
Students often believe that increasing temperature always shifts the equilibrium to the right, regardless of the reaction type.
Understand that increasing temperature shifts the equilibrium position in the direction that absorbs heat (endothermic direction) for a given reaction. For exothermic reactions, increasing temperature shifts the equilibrium to the left, reducing product yield.
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