Final answer:
The total pressure produced by the explosion of nitroglycerine in a rigid steel container can be calculated using the ideal gas law, but the balanced chemical equation for the decomposition of nitroglycerine is needed to find the moles of gas produced.
Step-by-step explanation:
The student is asking about the total pressure produced by the explosion of nitroglycerine in a closed environment using the ideal gas law. First, the explosion's chemical reaction needs to be written down to identify the gaseous products and compute the number of moles produced. Second, the ideal gas law PV = nRT can be used, where P is pressure, V is volume, n is moles, R is the ideal gas constant, and T is the temperature. Given the constants and conditions (R = 0.0821 Latm/molK and T = 300 K), the pressure can be calculated after determining the moles of gas generated from the mass of nitroglycerine exploded.
To solve this problem, we would need the balanced chemical equation for the decomposition of nitroglycerine to determine the moles of gas produced, which is not provided in the question. Without the balanced equation and the stoichiometry of the reaction, we cannot calculate the total pressure produced in the explosion because the number of moles of gas formed is unknown. Therefore, to answer the student's question correctly, the chemical equation is essential.