How Le Chatelier's Principle Works

⚙️ How Le Chatelier's Principle Works

Le Chatelier's Principle is not magic — it has a chemical explanation. When conditions change, the forward and backward reaction rates become temporarily unequal, causing a net shift until equilibrium is re-established.

Example — adding more reactant:

• Adding reactant increases its concentration
• This increases the forward reaction rate (more collisions)
• The backward rate is momentarily unchanged
• Products accumulate → backward rate increases
• A new equilibrium is reached with more products — the position has shifted right

Example — increasing temperature (for an exothermic forward reaction):

Think of heat energy as an extra reactant. Adding more heat is like adding more of that reactant — it pushes the equilibrium toward the endothermic direction, which uses up the extra heat.

• More heat is supplied to the system
• The system opposes the change by shifting in the direction that absorbs heat — the endothermic (backward) direction
• More reactants form — equilibrium position shifts left
• The yield of products decreases (but rate of reaching equilibrium increases)