Question

A flask of ammonia is connected to a flask of an unknown acid hx by a 100-cm glass tube. As the two gases diffuse down the tube, a white ring of nh4x forms 68.50 cm from the ammonia flask. Calculate the molar mass of hx?

Answer 1

To find the molar mass of the unknown acid HX, we use Graham's law of effusion, comparing the rates of diffusion in relation to the distance the white ring forms from the origin of ammonia diffusion.

Step-by-step explanation:

The question involves the usage of Graham's law of effusion to determine the molar mass of an unknown acid, denoted as HX, when it reacts with ammonia (NH3) to form a white ring along a tube. The position of the ring indicates how much quicker one gas diffuses compared to the other.

In order to calculate the molar mass of the unknown gas HX, we must apply Graham's Law, which states that the rate of diffusion of a gas is inversely proportional to the square root of its molar mass. We can compare the rates of diffusion with the following formula:

Rate of diffusion of NH3 / Rate of diffusion of HX = sqrt(Molar mass of HX / Molar mass of NH3) Knowing the molar mass of ammonia (NH3) to be 17 g/mol and given the distances from the starting points (NH3 starts at 0 cm and the white ring forms at 68.5 cm from the NH3), we can calculate the molar mass of HX.