[Duncan1234]

Good morning.  I would like help applying Le Chatelier's Principle to some chemicals that I work with, namely: NaHCO3 (Sodium Bicarbonate); (NH4)2SO4 (Ammonium Sulfate); CH20 (Formaldehyde); CH4N2O (Urea).

Please help me understand the basics.  Which are the reactants and which are the products?  In particular, I am curious about how the addition and subtraction of Sodium Bicarbonate and Ammonium Sulfate would affect dynamic equilibrium.

Thank you very much.

[Borek]

You don't apply Le Chatelier's principle to chemicals, but to reaction (or process).

So first, you have to write reaction equation, then we can think what happens when you add/remove substances involved.

[Duncan1234]

Borek, again thank you for your response. Essentially we take CH20 + CH4N2O + H20 + Heat = ?  In the process, the liquid solution solidifies. 

[Hunter2]

Check for urearesins, Aminoplaste.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Urea-formaldehyde

[Duncan1234]

Hunter2 -

Thanks!  I read through the wiki, and wasn't able to find what I wanted.  I felt like I was getting close when I read this:

"early stages of the reaction of formaldehyde and urea produce bis(hydroxymethyl)urea."

What I would like to understand is: what is the reaction equation (per Borek), and once there, how does Le Chatelier's principle apply.

Thank you!

[gavindor]

i'm just looking into le chatlier now, and this doesn't directly address your question but this video

Le Chatelier's Principle
Professor Dave Explains
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XmgRRmxS3is

In the first minute of the video he goes into adjusting concentrations of reactants and products and the effect on equilibrium.

That might help in your study of this

Also the first 3min 30sec of this video

Which way will the Equilibrium Shift? (Le Chatelier's Principle)
chemistNATE

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BPDkl92NCUs

Explains what happens if you add/remove reactants and products for an example reaction.

I don't know about your reaction specifically or how it translates in a lab setting, but that info above might help in your investigations.

[Borek]

Note: polymerization reactions take many steps, they are typically of the (approximate) form

nX X_n

Or, when you have a mix of things reacting it can be something closer to

nX + nY (XY)_n

(these are not exact reaction equations, they are just signaling the general idea).

As n can take many values in the same mixture, this is not a simple equilibrium reaction. It is quite difficult to apply correctly simple LCP logic here, not understanding well why and when it works for simpler cases.