Question

Two sealed, rigid 5.0L containers each contain a gas at the same temperature but at a different pressure, as shown above. Also shown are the results of transferring the entire contents of container 1 to container 2. No gases escape during the transfer. Assuming ideal behavior, which statement is correct regarding the total pressure of the gases after they are combined

Answer 1

Answer:

The question with options are

Two sealed, rigid 5.0L containers each contain a gas at the same temperature but at a different pressure, as shown above. Also shown are the results of transferring the entire contents of container 1 to container 2. No gases escape during the transfer. Assuming ideal behavior, which statement is correct regarding the total pressure of the gases after they are combined?

A) The total pressure of the gases in the mixture is the sum of the initial pressures of oxygen gas and nitrogen gas because pressure only depends on the total amount of gas when volume and temperature are held constant.

B) The total pressure of the gases in the mixture is lower than the sum of the initial pressures of oxygen and nitrogen because some of the energy of the particles will be lost due to an increase in the number of collisions.

C) The total pressure of the gases in the mixture is higher than the sum of the initial pressures of oxygen and nitrogen because of the inter molecular forces that develop between oxygen and nitrogen molecules.

D) The total pressure of the gases in the mixture cannot be determined because the actual value of the temperature is not given.

The correct answer to the question is (A), a representation of Dalton's Law of Partial pressure

A) The total pressure of the gases in the mixture is the sum of the initial pressures of oxygen gas and nitrogen gas because pressure only depends on the total amount of gas when volume and temperature are held constant.

Explanation:

The above solution can be explained by Dalton's law of partial pressures  which states that at constant temperature and pressure, the pressure of a given mass gas is equal to the sum of the partial pressures of the individual gases that make up the mixture :

$P_{Total}$​ = $P_{gas in container 1}$ + $P_{gas in container 2}$

The partial pressure of a gas is the pressure exerted by the gas if the gas is the only constituent of the container

Dalton's Law is used to

Calculate the gas partial pressure given the mole ratio and total pressure

Determine the number of moles of a gas present in a mixture given the partial pressure and total pressure

Calculate the pressure exerted by a mixture of gases given the partial pressures of the individual gases at constant temperature and pressure