Does the Addition of Inert Gases at Constant Volume and Temperature Affect Chemical Equilibrium?

In this article we examine three approaches, leading to different conclusions, for answering the question "Does the addition of inert gases at constant volume and temperature modify the state of equilibrium?" In the first approach, the answer is yes as a result of a common students' a...

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Published inJournal of chemical education Vol. 85; no. 8; pp. 1133 - 1135
Main Authors Fonseca, Susana, Paiva, João C. M, Gonçalves, Jorge
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published Easton Division of Chemical Education 01.08.2008
Division of Chemical Education of the American Chemical Society
American Chemical Society
Subjects
Chemical reactions
Chemistry
Equations (Mathematics)
Equilibrium
Gases
Heat
Ideal gas
Organic chemistry
Pressure effects
Principles
Rare gases
Science education
Science Experiments
Science Instruction
Scientific Principles
Temperature
Textbooks
Thermodynamics
Misconceptions / Discrepant Events
First-Year Undergraduate / General
Physical Chemistry
Equilibrium
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Summary:In this article we examine three approaches, leading to different conclusions, for answering the question "Does the addition of inert gases at constant volume and temperature modify the state of equilibrium?" In the first approach, the answer is yes as a result of a common students' alternative conception; the second approach, valid only for ideal mixtures of gases, leads to a negative response, and in the third approach the answer is "a little" obtained from a more universal explanation. This last approach, ignored even in advanced chemistry textbooks, is valid for real mixtures of gases and the effects start to become verifiable at moderate pressures. Le Châtelier's principle application to pressure variations is explored in the context of the results from the different approaches.
ISSN:0021-9584
1938-1328
DOI:10.1021/ed085p1133