A container encloses 2 mol of an ideal gas that has molar mass M1 and 0.5 mol of

Question

A container encloses 2 mol of an ideal gas that has molar mass M1 and 0.5 mol of a second ideal gas that has molar mass M2 = 3m1 . What fraction of the total pressure on the container wall is attributable to the second gas? (The kinetic theory explanation of pressure leads to the experimentally discovered law of partial pressures for a mixture of gases that do not react chemically: The total pressure exerted by the mixture is equal to the sum of the pressures that the several gases would exert separately if each were to occupy the vessel alone. The molecule–vessel collisions of one type would not be altered by the presence of another type.

Explanation / Answer

The pressure P1 due to the first gas is P1 = n1*RT/V ,

and the pressure P2 due to the second gas is P2 = n2*RT/V.

Thus the total pressureon the container wall is P = P1 + P2 = (n1 + n2)RT/V

The fraction of the total pressure due to the second gas is then

P2/P = n2/(n1 + n2) = 0.5/(0.5 + 2) = 0.2 = 1/5

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