Question

38. An average adult has a total lung capacity of 6.0 L. How many total grams of air could be held in the lungs at a pressure of 102 kPa and a normal body temperature of 37 Celsius? (Assume that the average molar mass of air is 29 g/mol.)

Answer 1

Answer:  

6.9 g

Step-by-step explanation:  

1. Use the Ideal Gas Law to find the number of moles

pV = nRT            Divide each side by RT  

 n = (pV)/(RT)  

Data:

p = 102 kPa

V = 6.0 L  

R = 8.314 kPa·L·K⁻¹mol⁻¹  

T = (37 + 273.15) K = 310.15 K  

Calculation:

n = (102 × 6.0)/(8.314 × 310.15)  

n = 0.237 mol  

2. Calculate the mass of air

Mass of air = 0.237 mol × (29  g/1 mol)

Mass of air =  6.9 g