Step by step chemistry ASP

Question

A container consists of 75% oxygen, 10% hydrogen, and 15% nitrogen. The total pressure of the container is 50.0 atm. What is the partial pressure of nitrogen in the container? (Number only, 1 decimal place)

Answer 1

We can use Dalton's Law of Partial Pressures to solve this problem. From Dalton's Law, we know that each of the gases in a mixture exerts its own pressure (the partial pressure) and this is the equal to the pressure it would exert if it were the only gas. We also know that The total pressure of the mixture of gases is equal to the sum of all the partial pressures.

We represent that with this equation: P_total = P₁ + P₂ + P₃ +.........

Our total pressure is 50.0 atm. The percent of each gas is equivalent to the percent of each gas's partial pressure in the total pressure. So we can use our percentage of Nitrogen to solve for its partial pressure.

P_N2 = 15/100 x 50.0atm = 7.5atm

15% = 15/100 then multiply that by your total pressure to find the amount of pressure contributed by only the Nitrogen gas.

Answer 2

So Avery T.,

You haven't indicated where your difficulty with this problem lies. That would enable providing you with the necessary concepts or tools. For example, are the % figures given unclear (moles vs. mass, for example)? Were that the case, my advice would be to convert from %mass (that would be the usual "given"), to relative proportion moles, by dividing each datum by the particular molecular mass. Remember that these gases are all diatomic!. Then sum the three results, and proportionate the total pressure to each gas in a moles(individual)/moles(total) ratio.

When you have done that, by all means go a little further: could this mixture have been achieved by the electrolysis of water, with the H2 and O2 mixed with an initial charge of air? If not, which is the limiting gas, such that electrolysis of a mixture of water and ammonia might have supplied the final product mix? Would initial air have even been required?

-- Cheers, --Mr. d.