Le Chatelier's Principle (Haber Process)
Change concentration, temperature and pressure on N₂ + 3H₂ ⇌ 2NH₃ and watch the equilibrium shift.
Add or remove chemicals, or change temperature and pressure, and watch the reaction shift to fight the change.
About the Le Chatelier's Principle (Haber Process)
Free le chatelier's principle (haber process). Change concentration, temperature and pressure on N₂ + 3H₂ ⇌ 2NH₃ and watch the equilibrium shift. Drag, change the sliders and see the result live. No sign-up, works on phone and computer. Built for reactions & kinetics, the le chatelier's principle (haber process) runs instantly in your browser: change a setting or drag an object and the result updates at once, so you learn by trying things out rather than only reading about them.
Change concentration, temperature and pressure on N₂ + 3H₂ ⇌ 2NH₃ and watch the equilibrium shift. Use it to explore reactions & kinetics ideas at your own pace, then check what you found against the key ideas further down this page.
How to use the Le Chatelier's Principle (Haber Process)
- Use the controls to change Temperature, Pressure. The simulation reacts instantly.
- Press "+ N₂", "+ H₂", "+ NH₃", "− NH₃ (remove)" to start, reset or change what is happening.
- Where you see a glowing handle, object, weight or atom, drag it with your mouse or finger. Everything responds in real time.
- Watch the readouts and graphs update as you experiment, and compare what you see with the key ideas below.
Things to try
- Add extra N₂ and watch ammonia rise.
- Raise the pressure to 200 atm.
- Raise the temperature and see ammonia fall.
- Remove NH₃ and watch it be replaced.
Key ideas you can learn
- A system at equilibrium shifts to reduce any change made to it.
- Adding a reactant shifts the reaction towards products.
- Raising pressure favours the side with fewer gas moles.
- Raising temperature favours the endothermic direction.
Where this is used in the real world
The Haber process makes the ammonia that feeds half of the world through fertiliser. Pressure and temperature choices are exactly this trade-off.
Who is this simulation for?
Students learning reaction rates, equilibrium and equations, and teachers who want a visual way to explain what happens to particles.
For teachers: project it on the board, let students predict what will happen, then run it together. For students: change one thing at a time and write down what changes.
Frequently asked questions
What does Le Chatelier's principle say?
If you disturb a system at equilibrium, it shifts in the direction that partly cancels the disturbance.
Why is the Haber process run at high pressure?
Four moles of gas become two, so high pressure pushes the equilibrium to make more ammonia.
Is the Le Chatelier's Principle (Haber Process) free to use?
Yes. It is completely free, with no signup, no download and no ads inside the simulation. It runs in your web browser.
Does the Le Chatelier's Principle (Haber Process) work on a phone or tablet?
Yes. It uses touch as well as the mouse, so you can drag objects with your finger. A larger screen makes the controls easier to see.