Answer to Question #200678 in Physical Chemistry for Dylan

Question

An additional piece of solid CaCO 3 is added to the equilibrium caco3 to its ions

The rate of dissolving and rate of crystallization have increased. Why?

Answer 1

This is because Le Chatelier’s principle states the reaction will shift toward the left (toward the reactants) to relieve the stress of the excess product. When equilibrium is shifted toward the reactants, the solute precipitates.