Chemical Equilibria and Le Chateliers Principle

Objective
To investigate Le Chateliers principle by varying concentrations and temperature, and
introducing common ions to a solution.
Procedure
Varying Concentration:
Four test tubes were prepared, two with 1M acetic acid (HAc), one with 0.1M HAc, and one with
deionized water. Methyl orange indicator was added to each of these, and the color noted. To
one of the 1M HAc test tubes, 4M sodium acetate (NaAc) was added dropwise, and the resulting
color changes noted.
Varying Temperature:
Solid silver acetate (AgAc) was prepared by adding 4M NaAc to 0.1M AgNO3. This was then
centrifuged and decanted, discarding the supernate. Water was added to the remaining solid and
the centrifuge tube was placed in boiling water until a noticeable change took place. The
solution was cooled to room temperature in a water bath and centrifuged once again. The
supernate was saved for a subsequent experiment.
A solution of 6M HNO3 was added to the remaining AgAc solid and stirred with a glass rod until
a change was noted.
Common Ion:
A sample of the saturated AgAc solution was obtained from the previous experiment. To this,
4M NaAc was added, and any change was noted.
Data
Varying Concentration:
Solution
1.0M HAc
0.1M HAc
Pure Water

Color w/ Methyl Orange

Pink
Pale Pink
Yellow

Volume of NaAc added to HAc

0.0 mL
0.5 mL
1.0 mL
1.5 mL
2.0 mL

Color w/ Methyl Orange

Pink
Orange
Orange
Yellow/Orange
Yellow

Varying Temperature and Common Ion:

Procedure
Amount of solid present
AgNO3 + NaAc Before Boiling
Appx 1cm deep
AgNO3 + NaAc After Boiling
Appx 0.5 cm deep, solution murky
AgAc(s) + HNO3
Much less solid, cloudy grey solution
Saturated AgAc + NaAc
Milky white solution formed

Results
As can be seen from the data table, as the concentration of the solution is changed, there is a shift
in the equilibrium. The control solutions of 1.0 M HAc, 0.1 M HAc, and pure water were used
as color guides to view what would happen to the equilibrium of the following:
HAc(aq) H+(aq) + Ac-(aq)
when the concentration of the acetate ion (Ac-) was disturbed. The addition of NaAc increased
the concentration of Ac-. This caused H+ to bind to it to maintain equilibrium. As evidenced by
the color change of the indicator, this solution became more basic as more Ac- was added.
Temperature was observed to have an effect on the equilibrium of solid AgAc. Once that solid
was prepared, it was placed in a boiling water bath. This increase in temperature shifted the
equilibrium to favor more ions in solution, as seen by the decrease in the amount of solid in the
bottom of the test tube. The slow cooling of this solution allowed for a saturated AgAc solution
to be used later.
When HNO3 was added to the solid AgAc, the solid disappeared. This was due to a shift in the
equilibrium of the following reaction:
AgAc(s) Ag+(aq) + Ac-(aq)
Here, the H+ from the HNO3 reacted with the Ac- to form HAc, as per the first equilibrium
investigated. This caused a drop in the Ac- concentration. The AgAc dissociated to compensate
for this decrease, thereby reestablishing equilibrium.
In the same manner, when NaAc was added to the saturated solution of AgAc, more Ac- was
added. This now caused an imbalance in the reaction which caused a shift toward the formation
of AgAc, which was evidenced by the murky white precipitate that was formed.

Conclusion
By changing concentration and temperature, and employing the common ion effect, Le
Chateliers Principle was clearly demonstrated. As concentrations of products were increased, a
shift toward reactants was observed, and vice versa.

Sources of Error
When observing the color changes of the indicator, the human eye and perception of color
remain a source of error to exactly quantify the changes occurring.