Chemistry lost.

Question

A particular sample of neon gas has a pressure of 13.2 atm and volume of 2.0 L. What will the new pressure be of the sample of neon if the container's volume is expanded to 3.0 L?

Answer 1

Hello Anthony,

If you have a fixed sample of gas and the temperature is constant, it is a consequence of the ideal gas law that the pressure and volume of the gas are inversely proportional. That is, PV = constant. Equivalently, we can state this as

P₁V₁ = P₂V₂,

where P₁ and V₁ are the initial pressure and volume, and P₂ and V₂ are the final values. Using the information in your problem, we can write

(13.2atm)(2.0L) = P₂(3.0L).

Solving this equation gives

P₂ = 8.8atm

Hope that helps!

William