Reverse reactions and Le Chateliers principle

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SUMMARY

In acid-base reactions, achieving complete conversion to products is impossible due to the reverse reaction, leading to equilibrium. Le Chatelier's principle is crucial in industrial settings to manipulate reaction conditions and push the equilibrium toward product formation. Techniques such as distillation and recycling of reactants are employed to enhance yield in both batch and continuous flow processes. Factors influencing equilibrium stability include concentration, temperature, and pressure-volume effects, which can be visualized using seesaw analysis.

PREREQUISITES
  • Understanding of Le Chatelier's principle
  • Familiarity with acid-base reaction dynamics
  • Knowledge of industrial separation techniques, such as distillation
  • Basic concepts of chemical equilibrium
NEXT STEPS
  • Research advanced applications of Le Chatelier's principle in chemical engineering
  • Explore the role of distillation in enhancing reaction yields
  • Study the impact of temperature and pressure on chemical equilibrium
  • Learn about seesaw analysis for visualizing equilibrium shifts
USEFUL FOR

Chemical engineers, industrial chemists, and students studying reaction dynamics and equilibrium optimization will benefit from this discussion.

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TL;DR
Yield in acid-base reaction low due to reverse reaction
In acid-base reactions, the reaction never goes 100% toward the product, right? A reverse reaction will occur and eventually reaction toward product and reactant will reach equilibrium. In lab/industry conditions where yield is important, how does they push the reaction toward product? I am guessing this is where Le Chatelier's principle may come in handy but I am having a hard time seeing it.
 
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In industrial processes, if the reaction does not go to completion in the reactor, the reaction mixture next goes to a piece of separation equipment (like a distillation column) where the products and reactants are purified, and the reactants are recycled to the reactor to be combined with new reactants, while the products experience subsequent processing. This applies to both batch processes and continuous flow processes.
 
You can distill/remove/precipitate (whichever works best for a given reaction) the product out to shift the equilibrium.
 
... but I am having a hard time seeing it.

Generally, equilibrium stability is affected by one, two or a combination of three factors. These are concentration effects, temperature affects & pressure-volume effects. One way that is used to visualize the effect of concentration and/or temperature effects is the 'seesaw analysis'. Pressure-Volume effect follows after concentration & temperature effects.
Consider the following hypothetical reaction (A + B <=> C + D) and assume while at equilibrium it is balanced on a seesaw...

Concentration Effects can be perceived as follows ...
Le Chateliers Principle - Concentration Effects_0001.jpg

Le Chateliers Principle - Temp Effects_0001.jpg

Le Chateliers Principle - Press-Vol Effects.jpg


 
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