Why cold water dissolve Chorals reef? Pls, the chemical reaction too...I can't unerstand Le Chatelier Principle very well....

Question

anonymous · Answer

Le Chatelier's principle basically states that when you apply a 'stress' to a system, it will adjust itself. there are 3 basic stresses, 
1. Concentration
2. Pressure
3. Heat/Temperature

the problem you have is what happens when heat is removed from the equation. since the reaction is exothermic since you end up producing heat and products.

why? when you remove the heat of the system by adding cold water, the reactants will react more to create the heat it had and balance the system again. This is why the corals dissolve.

As for the equation, i dont know the reactants/products of the corals so i cant really help there, sorry