I'm having trouble solving this problem

Question

At standard temperature, a gas has a volume of 227 mL. The temperature is then increased to 129 degrees celsius, and the pressure is held constant. What is the new volume?

Answer 1

Hey Joanna,

 

The important part of this problem is noticing that you are beginning at STP (standard temperature and pressure) and so your pressure and temperature are at specific values to begin with. Since the problem states pressure is held constant throughout, we only need to worry about volume and temperature. 

 

This is a Charles's Law problem where volume is proportional to temperature (V1/T1 = V2/T2). We are given an initial volume of 227 ml and an initial temperature of 273K ( temperature at STP = 0 Celsius --> 273K). 

 

The problem asks to calculate the new volume after the gas has been heated to 129 Celsius (402K) which is your T2 (final temperature). 

 

Now all you need to do is solve for V2 (final volume) where V2 = (V1 * T2) / (T1)

 

Since this problem follows Charles's Law and we know that volume is proportional to temperature, our answer should be larger than our initial volume

 

Hope this helps!