MCQMediumJEE 2025Le Chatelier's Principle

JEE Chemistry 2025 Question with Solution

Ice and water are placed in a closed container at a pressure of 1atm1 \, \text{atm} and temperature 273.15K273.15 \, \text{K}. If pressure of the system is increased 22 times, keeping temperature constant, then identify correct observation from the following:

  • A

    Volume of system increases.

  • B

    The amount of ice decreases.

  • C

    Liquid phase disappears completely.

  • D

    The solid phase (ice) disappears completely.

Answer

Correct answer:B

Step-by-step solution

Standard Method

Given: Ice and water are in equilibrium at 273.15K273.15 \, \text{K} and 1atm1 \, \text{atm}.

Find: What happens when pressure is doubled at constant temperature.

At 273.15K273.15 \, \text{K} and 1atm1 \, \text{atm}, ice and water are at the melting equilibrium.

The Clausius-Clapeyron relation for phase transition is:

dPdT=ΔHTΔV\frac{dP}{dT} = \frac{\Delta H}{T\Delta V}

For the ice-water transition, ΔH\Delta H is positive and

ΔV=VwaterVice\Delta V = V_{\text{water}} - V_{\text{ice}}

Since ice is less dense than water,

Vice>VwaterV_{\text{ice}} > V_{\text{water}}

Therefore,

ΔV<0\Delta V < 0

Hence,

dPdT<0\frac{dP}{dT} < 0

So, increasing pressure lowers the melting point of ice.

At constant temperature 273.15K273.15 \, \text{K}, when pressure is increased, the system becomes effectively above the new melting point. Therefore, some ice melts to form water.

Conclusion: The amount of ice decreases, so the correct option is B.

Le Chatelier Interpretation

Given: Ice and water coexist in equilibrium at 1atm1 \, \text{atm} and 273.15K273.15 \, \text{K}.

Find: The effect of doubling pressure while keeping temperature constant.

For water, solid ice has larger volume than liquid water. Therefore, the liquid phase occupies less volume than the solid phase.

By Le Chatelier's principle, when pressure is increased, the equilibrium shifts toward the phase with lower volume.

So the equilibrium shifts from ice to water.

Therefore, some ice melts and the amount of ice decreases. Hence, the correct option is B.

Common mistakes

  • Assuming that increasing pressure always favors the solid phase is incorrect. For water, ice has a larger volume than liquid water. Pressure favors the phase with lower volume, so the equilibrium shifts toward liquid water.

  • Using the usual melting-point trend for most substances is wrong here. Water is anomalous because Vice>VwaterV_{\text{ice}} > V_{\text{water}}, so increasing pressure lowers the melting point instead of raising it.

  • Concluding that all ice disappears completely is not justified. The given change indicates the direction of equilibrium shift, not necessarily complete conversion of one phase into the other.

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