A sample of SO2 experiences a change in pressure from 497.15 kPa to 456.72 kPa. During this change, the temperature is also changed from 991.51 K to 522.4 K. If its new volume is 31.176 L, what was i

Question

A sample of SO2 experiences a change in pressure from 497.15 kPa to 456.72 kPa. During this change, the temperature is also changed from 991.51 K to 522.4 K. If its new volume is 31.176 L, what was its original volume in liters?

Answer 1

Hello, Brandy,

Pease try the approach I've outlined in earlier responses. Let me know what portion you are having difficulty with and I'll explain.

In this case we are looking for the initial volume, V1.

V1 = V2(P2/P1)(T1/T2)

The pressure goes down slightly and the temperature drops by around half. So I'd expect the initial volume to be around double that of the final. A quick calculation tells me to look for an initial volume of around 54.4 L.

Bob