Sulfur trioxide is made in industry by reacting sulfur dioxide with oxygen.
2SO2(g)+O2(g)⇌2SO3(g)\mathrm{2SO_{2}(g)} + \mathrm{O_{2}(g)} \rightleftharpoons \mathrm{2SO_{3}(g)}2SO2(g)+O2(g)⇌2SO3(g)
The forward reaction is exothermic. A vanadium(V) oxide catalyst is used.
Explain the effect of increasing the pressure on the equilibrium yield of sulfur trioxide.
Explain the effect of increasing the temperature on the equilibrium yield of sulfur trioxide.
The vanadium(V) oxide catalyst is added to the reaction mixture.
State the effect of the catalyst on the position of the equilibrium.
State the effect of the catalyst on the time taken to reach equilibrium.
Increasing the temperature lowers the equilibrium yield of sulfur trioxide, but it reduces the time taken to reach equilibrium. Explain why a higher temperature reduces the time taken to reach equilibrium.
45 exam-style questions on Edexcel GCSE Chemistry 5.2 Reversible reactions and equilibria, covering 5.2.1 Reversible reactions and dynamic equilibrium, 5.2.2 The Haber process, and 5.2.3 Changing the position of a dynamic equilibrium. Each one has a worked solution and a mark scheme showing where the marks go.