General Chemistry Placement Test – Complete Practice Guide 2025

According to Le Chatelier's principle, if a system at equilibrium is subjected to a change in concentration, pressure, or temperature, the equilibrium position will shift in a direction that counteracts the change. When the concentration of a product is increased, the system will respond by shifting the equilibrium position towards the reactants to reduce the concentration of the added product. This is because the system seeks to restore balance, and by shifting toward the reactants, it can consume some of the excess product to decrease its concentration.

Thus, as a response to an increase in product concentration, the correct behavior is for the system to shift to favor the formation of reactants. The shift towards reactants will enable the system to reduce the concentration of products back toward its original equilibrium state. This action illustrates how dynamic equilibrium functions, with the system continuously adjusting to changes in concentration to maintain balance.