Final answer:
The student's question refers to the calculation of total pressure of a gas mixture using the ideal gas law PV = nRT, which relates pressure (P), volume (V), temperature (T), and moles of gas (n) with R as the gas constant.
Step-by-step explanation:
To calculate the total pressure of a gas mixture using the ideal gas law, expressed as PV = nRT, it is essential to understand each component of the equation:
- P represents the pressure of the gas in Pascals (Pa).
- V is the volume of the gas in cubic meters (m³).
- n is the number of moles of the gas.
- R is the universal or ideal gas constant, valued at 8.314 J/(mol·K) among other units depending on the system of units used.
- T is the absolute temperature in Kelvin (K).
At Standard Temperature and Pressure (STP), which is 0°C and 1 atm, the volume of 1 mol of an ideal gas is approximately 22.41 L. To solve for an unknown parameter in the equation, one would rearrange the equation to isolate and calculate the desired variable. If we want to find pressure (P), and we know the moles of gas (n), temperature (T), and volume (V), we can rearrange the equation to P = (nRT)/V.