Application of the Le Chatelier principle on gas reactions

Zi Kui Liu, John Ågren, Mats Hillert

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

45 Scopus citations

Abstract

Le Chatelier's principle has been the subject of much discussion and controversy because it sometimes seems to give the wrong predictions. A classic example is the ammonia gas reaction. The principle is now re-examined, starting from a strict and general derivation given recently. A chemical reaction in a gas mixture is then considered and the conditions are derived under which a chemical reaction will increase the amount of a type of molecule but decrease its chemical potential, a case which has caused confusion. It is demonstrated that there are no exceptions to Le Chatelier's principle if applied to infinitesimal changes of an equilibrium system. However, finite changes may violate the principle. The conditions are given under which this may occur in a gas mixture. The mathematical formulation of the principle is transformed to a form lending itself to quantitative calculations.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)167-177
Number of pages11
JournalFluid Phase Equilibria
Volume121
Issue number1-2
DOIs
StatePublished - Jul 15 1996

All Science Journal Classification (ASJC) codes

  • General Chemical Engineering
  • General Physics and Astronomy
  • Physical and Theoretical Chemistry

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'Application of the Le Chatelier principle on gas reactions'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this