At 450 $\degree$C, tert-butyl alcohol decomposes into water and isobutene. A reaction vessel contains these compounds at equilibrium. What will happen if the volume of the container is reduced by 50% at constant temperature?

Question

At 450 $\degree$C, tert-butyl alcohol decomposes into water and isobutene.  A reaction vessel contains these compounds at equilibrium. What will happen if the volume of the container is reduced by 50% at constant temperature?

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

According to Le Chatelier's principle, when a system at equilibrium is subjected to a change in volume, the system will shift in the direction that opposes the change in volume. In this case, reducing the volume of the container will increase the pressure, causing the equilibrium to shift in the direction of fewer moles of gas. Since the forward reaction produces two moles of gas (water and isobutene), the equilibrium will shift towards the reactants (tert-butyl alcohol) in order to decrease the pressure. Therefore, the reverse reaction will proceed to reestablish equilibrium.

At 450 °\degree° C, Tert-Butyl Alcohol Decomposes into Water and Isobutene

At 450 $\degree$ C, Tert-Butyl Alcohol Decomposes into Water and Isobutene