Question

According to Le Chatelier’s principle, what always happens to the equilibrium of a reaction when the temperature is reduced?

a. It shifts to the right.
b. It shifts to the left.
c. It shifts in the exothermic direction.
d. It shifts in the endothermic direction.

Answer 1

read teh question wrong my bad

Answer 2

Well the answer cant be a or b. Not exactly sure what the question is asking.

Answer 3

Me either.

Answer 4

Exothermic reactions have heat as a product.
Endothermic have heat as a reactant.

Answer 5

And when temp is reduced, that is taking away heat.

Answer 6

I agree with @JoannaBlackwelder

but I think maybe this question is a bit vague because decreasing temperature has a different effect depending on whether the reaction is exothermic or endothermic. the question says always.

like naturally if you increase the temperature in an exothermic reaction (we know heat is on the side of the products) the reaction is going to want to shift to the products to reduce some of that added heat.

Exothermic: decrease the temperature I believe that it has the opposite effect: the products are now favored.
Endothermic: decreasing the temperature would favor the reactants.

if it's endothermic and there's heat on the reactants, increasing the temperature favors the products, but decreasing the temperature would favor the reactants.

I feel that in general they say that the increase in temperature favors the products b/c speeds up rate of reaction while decreasing it favors the reactants.

@taramgrant0543664 @rushwr what do you think?

Answer 7

I think it is not too vague since for an exothermic reaction, when the temp is lowered, the reaction will be pushed toward the products (exothermic direction). For an endothermic reaction, when the temp is lowered it will be pushed toward the reactants (exothermic direction).

Answer 8

Hmmm I think the same though. Since the temperature is reduced the equilibrium needs to bring back the previous temperature right? In order to bring back the temperature it will have to produce more and more heat. So the equilibrium point will shift to the exothermic side !

Answer 9

Because exothermic reactions give out heat as products

Answer 10

The question was really vague and I didn't understand exactly what it was looking for. So thank you everyone for clearing it up and giving a lengthy explanation. :)