Question

what happens to an exothermic reaction system if the temperature is increased?
a) the equilibrium shifts to the right, producing more products
b) the equilibrium shifts to the left, favoring the reactants
c) the equilibrium remains unchanged
d) the reaction rate decreases until equilibrium is re-established

Answer 1

In an exothermic reaction, heat can be considered as a product. According to Le Chatelier's principle, if the temperature of a system at equilibrium is increased, the system will shift to counteract that change. In this case, the system would favor the endothermic direction to absorb the excess heat, which means it would shift to the left, favoring the reactants.

Therefore, the correct answer is:

**b) the equilibrium shifts to the left, favoring the reactants.**