When the following equilibria are disturbed by increasing the pressure, does the concentration of reaction products increase, decrease, or remain the same? 2 CO2(g) ⇌ 2 CO(g) + O2(g)

Le Chatelier's Principle states that if a dynamic equilibrium is disturbed by changing the conditions, the system will adjust to counteract the change and restore a new equilibrium. In the context of pressure changes, the system will shift in the direction that reduces the pressure, which typically means favoring the side with fewer gas molecules.

In gaseous reactions, the number of moles of gas on each side of the equilibrium equation is crucial for understanding how changes in pressure affect the system. In the given reaction, there are 2 moles of CO2 on the left and 3 moles (2 CO + 1 O2) on the right, indicating that increasing pressure will favor the formation of CO2, as it has fewer moles of gas.

The equilibrium constant (K) quantifies the ratio of concentrations of products to reactants at equilibrium for a given reaction at a specific temperature. While pressure changes can shift the position of equilibrium, the value of K remains constant unless the temperature changes. Understanding K helps predict how concentrations will change in response to disturbances.