Dynamic Equilibrium: Is System Still At Equilibrium During Shift?

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SUMMARY

The discussion centers on dynamic equilibrium and Le Chatelier's principle, which predicts how a system at equilibrium responds to changes in temperature, pressure, and concentration. It is established that when a change occurs, the system shifts to counteract that change, but during this shift, the system is not at equilibrium. The system actively works to restore equilibrium by adjusting the concentrations of reactants and products, as illustrated by the example of concentration changes in gaseous or aqueous solutions.

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  • Understanding of Le Chatelier's principle
  • Basic knowledge of chemical equilibrium
  • Familiarity with concentration changes in chemical reactions
  • Concept of dynamic systems in chemistry
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ThomasMagnus
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Hi there, I had a question on dynamic equilibrium (I know this is sort of a chem question so I didn't know where to put it)

I was reading this online

Le Chatelier's principle allows us to predict the effects of changes in temperature, pressure, and concentration on a system at equilibrium. It states that if a system at equilibrium experiences a change, the system will shift its equilibrium to try to compensate for the change.

* changing the concentration (only with gases or aqueous solutions):
If you lower the concentration or remove some of a species, the system will shift to produce more of that species. On the other hand, if you increase the concentration or add some of a species, the system will shift to produce less of that species. For example, in the equation:

My question: During the "shift", is the system still at equilibrium, or is it attempting to work its way back to equilibrium by producing more of the lower quantity species?

Thanks for the help! :)
 
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