What is Le Chatelier's principle?

Le Chatelier's principle is fundamentally about the behavior of systems at equilibrium when they are subjected to external changes, such as changes in concentration, temperature, or pressure. The principle states that if a dynamic equilibrium is disturbed by changing the conditions, the system will respond by counteracting that change to restore a new equilibrium state.

For instance, if you increase the concentration of reactants in a reversible reaction at equilibrium, the system adjusts by favoring the forward reaction to produce more products, thereby counteracting the initial change. Similarly, if the temperature is increased, the equilibrium position will shift in the direction that consumes heat (endothermic direction) to try to reduce the temperature back toward the original state.

This principle is widely applicable and helps predict how a chemical reaction will respond when it is stressed, making it an essential concept in understanding chemical equilibria. The other options do not capture the essence of how systems react to changes or provide specific details about equilibrium dynamics, making them less relevant in this context.