73.8k views
4 votes
If atmospheric pressure suddenly changes from 1.00 atm to 0.891 atm at 298 k, how much oxygen will be released from 4.20 l of water in an unsealed container?

User VadimB
by
7.0k points

1 Answer

3 votes

Answer:

To calculate the amount of oxygen released from water when the atmospheric pressure changes, we need to consider Henry's Law, which describes the relationship between the partial pressure of a gas and its concentration in a liquid.

Henry's Law is given by the equation:

P = K * C

Where:

P is the partial pressure of the gas above the liquid

K is Henry's law constant for the specific gas and liquid at a given temperature

C is the concentration of the gas in the liquid

In this case, we're interested in the oxygen (O2) dissolved in water. The Henry's law constant for oxygen in water at 298 K is approximately 0.0334 mol/(L * atm).

Let's calculate the initial concentration of oxygen in water when the pressure is 1.00 atm:

P1 = 1.00 atm

K = 0.0334 mol/(L * atm)

C1 = P1 / K

C1 = 1.00 atm / 0.0334 mol/(L * atm)

C1 ≈ 29.94 mol/L

Now, let's calculate the final concentration of oxygen in water when the pressure decreases to 0.891 atm:

P2 = 0.891 atm

C2 = P2 / K

C2 = 0.891 atm / 0.0334 mol/(L * atm)

C2 ≈ 26.68 mol/L

The change in concentration (∆C) can be calculated as the difference between the initial and final concentrations:

∆C = C2 - C1

∆C ≈ 26.68 mol/L - 29.94 mol/L

∆C ≈ -3.26 mol/L

Since the concentration is negative, it means that oxygen will be released from the water.

Now, we can calculate the amount of oxygen released from the 4.20 L of water in the unsealed container. We can use the equation:

Amount of oxygen released = ∆C * V

Where:

∆C is the change in concentration (-3.26 mol/L)

V is the volume of water (4.20 L)

Amount of oxygen released = -3.26 mol/L * 4.20 L

Amount of oxygen released ≈ -13.67 mol

The negative sign indicates that oxygen is being released. However, it's important to note that a negative number of moles doesn't make physical sense in this context. It suggests that the concentration change is unrealistic or that the assumptions made in the calculation are not valid.

User Gbox
by
8.2k points