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The purification of hydrogen gas is possible by diffusion through a thin palladium sheet. Calculate the number of kilograms of hydrogen that pass per hour through a thick sheet of palladium having an area and thickness listed above at 500⁰C. Assume a diffusion coefficient of 8.9x10⁻⁸ m²/s, that the concentrations at the high- and low-pressure sides of the plates are 3.3 and 0.64 kg/m³ of hydrogen per cubic meter of palladium, and that steady-state conditions have been attained

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Final answer:

To calculate the number of kilograms of hydrogen that pass per hour through a thick sheet of palladium, we need to use Fick's first law of diffusion and the given information. The rate of diffusion can be determined using the formula: Rate of diffusion = Diffusion coefficient * Area * (C1 - C2) / Thickness. Finally, we can convert the rate of diffusion from m³/s to kg/h using the molar mass of hydrogen and Avogadro's number.

Step-by-step explanation:

The question asked is about the purification of hydrogen gas using diffusion through a thin palladium sheet. To calculate the number of kilograms of hydrogen that pass per hour through a thick sheet of palladium, we will use Fick's first law of diffusion and the given information.



Fick's first law of diffusion states that the rate of diffusion of a substance is proportional to the concentration gradient and the diffusion coefficient. In this case, the concentration gradient is the difference in the concentration of hydrogen on the high-pressure and low-pressure sides of the palladium sheet.



The formula to calculate the rate of diffusion is:



Rate of diffusion = Diffusion coefficient * Area * (C1 - C2) / Thickness



Where:



Diffusion coefficient = 8.9x10⁻⁸ m²/s (given)

Area = (Given)

C1 = 3.3 kg/m³ (concentration at the high-pressure side)

C2 = 0.64 kg/m³ (concentration at the low-pressure side)

Thickness = (Given)



Substituting the given values into the formula, we can calculate the rate of diffusion.



To find the number of kilograms of hydrogen that pass per hour, we need to convert the rate of diffusion from m³/s to kg/h using the molar mass of hydrogen (2.02 g/mol) and Avogadro's number (6.022x10²³/mol).

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