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Watch the following interactive thingy,
when they talk about the see-saw you can imagine that the equilibrium in question is the uptake of something like nitrogen. When the see saw is shifted as far as it is in your case, no uptake can occur.
So the plant is pumping out protons to reduce the weight on the side of the see-saw. In a lightly buffered medium this would usually result in a local pH change which would allow for uptake.
In your situation its like if you had 90 bounds of baking soda and you were trying to neutralize all of it with vinegar by doing it with 1mL syringes 1 at a time.
Thats the uphill fight your plant is fighting. Bring that pH down.
The video:
http://www.wwnorton.com/college/chemistry/gilbert2/tutorials/interface.asp?chapter=chapter_15&folder=le_chateliers
The part where you change the "starting amounts" of the reaction is also very relevant. If you can understand what is happening there, then you understand the principle--and you'll see why you're having problems here.
when they talk about the see-saw you can imagine that the equilibrium in question is the uptake of something like nitrogen. When the see saw is shifted as far as it is in your case, no uptake can occur.
So the plant is pumping out protons to reduce the weight on the side of the see-saw. In a lightly buffered medium this would usually result in a local pH change which would allow for uptake.
In your situation its like if you had 90 bounds of baking soda and you were trying to neutralize all of it with vinegar by doing it with 1mL syringes 1 at a time.
Thats the uphill fight your plant is fighting. Bring that pH down.
The video:
http://www.wwnorton.com/college/chemistry/gilbert2/tutorials/interface.asp?chapter=chapter_15&folder=le_chateliers
The part where you change the "starting amounts" of the reaction is also very relevant. If you can understand what is happening there, then you understand the principle--and you'll see why you're having problems here.