Reaction between ammonia and water produce nitrogen dioxide.if the volume of the product nitrogen dioxide is being increased, where will equilibrium shift to and why will it have to shift that way?

Answer 1

The reaction between ammonia (NH3) and water (H2O) to produce nitrogen dioxide (NO2) is as follows:

2 NH3 + H2O ⇌ 2 NH4+ + OH-

2 NH4+ + NO2- ⇌ NH4NO2

So, if the volume of nitrogen dioxide is increased, the equilibrium will shift to the right in order to try and reduce the increase in volume. According to Le Chatelier's Principle, the system will respond to the increase in volume of nitrogen dioxide by favoring the reaction that produces more gaseous products. In this case, the reaction that produces more gas is the one that forms NH4NO2. Therefore, the equilibrium will shift to the right to produce more NH4NO2 and ultimately increase the concentration of nitrogen dioxide.