Pressure's Effect on Equilibrium

[Charisse Vu 1H]

Why is it that when pressure is increased by adding an inert gas to a reaction, the K value does not change? Also, what happens when pressure is decreased?

[Brian_Ho_2B]

Inert gases do no side reactions because they're inert. Although they changed the pressure (PV = nRT), they don't change the volume of the container used and thusly the concentrations (n/V) are still the same. This is true for partial pressures as well, since the volume is constant and the moles of gas of the reactants/products are the same. If pressure was changed via changing volume, then values of partial pressures, and concentrations change, and thus reaction quotients (Q) change.

[Rita Chen 1B]

I think simply it’s because the inside doesn’t change so the products and reactants don’t change so the K is still the same.

[Miriam Villarreal 1J]

Increasing the pressure by adding an inert gas at constant volume has no effect. This is because what matters for the equilibrium are the partial pressures of the reactants and products

[Jessica Kwek 4F]

The equilibrium constant does not change when pressure is increased by adding an inert gas because it does not react with anything in the reaction. The concentration of each reactant are not changed. The system will still be at equilibrium, which leaves K to remain the same.

[Megan Kirschner]

What exactly defines an Inert gas? I understand the posts above except for this.

[ABombino_2J]

When an inert gas is added, the concentrations of the products and the reactions are the same because there are the same moles present in the same volume container; therefore, K does not change.