Temperature and pressure play big roles in reversible reactions, but they can be tricky for Year 12 students to understand. Let's break it down:

1. How Temperature Affects Reactions:

   • When we increase the temperature, it usually helps reactions that absorb heat (called endothermic reactions) and shifts the balance to the right.
   • When we lower the temperature, it helps reactions that release heat (called exothermic reactions) and shifts the balance to the left.
   • This can be confusing because you need to know what kind of reaction it is. If you mix them up, you might make wrong guesses about what will happen.

2. How Pressure Affects Reactions:

   • In reactions with gases, increasing the pressure pushes the reaction towards the side with fewer gas molecules.
   • This can be hard because you need to figure out how many molecules are on each side.
   • For example, in the reaction $A(g) + B(g) \rightleftharpoons 2C(g)$, if you increase the pressure, the balance shifts toward making more of the products.
   • It might be tough to picture how this shift happens, especially when the numbers of molecules aren’t obvious.

3. Le Chatelier's Principle:

   • This principle is a helpful tool for understanding reactions, but it can be tough to predict how different factors like concentration, temperature, and pressure work together.
   • This can lead to simplifying things too much or misunderstanding them completely.

Solutions:

• To tackle these challenges, students can use graphs and practice equilibrium problems regularly.
• It helps to relate these concepts to real-life situations, which can make them easier to understand and remember.