Increasing temperature in an exothermic reaction shifts the equilibrium toward the reactants. True or false?

• A. True
• B. False
• C. It shifts toward products
• D. Temperature has no effect

Answer: (A)

Le Chatelier’s principle tells us a system at equilibrium shifts to counteract a disturbance. In an exothermic reaction, heat is produced as the forward reaction occurs, so heat behaves like a product. When you raise the temperature, the system responds by favoring the reverse reaction to consume the added heat. That shifts the equilibrium toward the reactants, increasing reactant concentrations and decreasing product concentrations. So the statement is true. If the reaction were endothermic, increasing temperature would instead shift the equilibrium toward the products.