What effect does raising the temperature have on an exothermic reaction according to Le Chatelier's principle?

In an exothermic reaction, heat is released as a product of the reaction. According to Le Chatelier's principle, if you change the conditions of a system at equilibrium, the system will adjust to counteract that change and restore a new equilibrium. When the temperature is increased, it can be considered as adding a product (in this case, heat) to the system.

Since the exothermic reaction produces heat, raising the temperature shifts the equilibrium toward the left, favoring the reactants. This shift occurs because the system will respond to the increase in heat by consuming some of it, thus favoring the direction that absorbs heat and decreases the temperature. Therefore, the correct answer reflects that raising the temperature in an exothermic reaction favors the formation of reactants over products.