Chemistry Unit 6

Question

At ocean level, or 101.3 kPa, 1212 L of CO2 enters the atmosphere. How many liters of CO2 would this be at the top of Mt. Everest, or 33 kPa?

Answer 1

Hello, Jay,

Since neither the temperature nor the moles of gas change between the two states, we can use Boyle's Law, which states that the volume is inversely proportional to the pressure, such that PV = a constant.

That means we can say P1V1 = P2V2 (This is a result of the other variables, and gas constant, cancelling out when comparing the two gas states).

We can leave pressure in kPa, since that unit also cancels:

P1V1 = P2V2

V2 = V1(P1/P2)

V2 = (1212L)*(101.3 kPa/33.0 kPa)

V2 = 3720 L

Bob

(We need to assume temperature is the same, since it is not mentioned. But please don't assume you can go to the top of Mt. Everest in a t-shirt.)