Question

Carbon dioxide decomposes into CO and O₂ at elevated temperatures. What is the equilibrium partial pressure of oxygen in a sample at 1000 °C for which the initial pressure of CO₂ was 1.15 atm?

a) 0.575 atm
b) Depends on the initial pressure of CO₂
c) Non-zero constant value
d) Cannot be determined

Answer 1

The equilibrium partial pressure of oxygen for the decomposition of carbon dioxide at high temperatures depends on the equilibrium constant of the reaction, which is not provided. Without this information, a definitive answer to the equilibrium partial pressure cannot be given.

Step-by-step explanation:

When carbon dioxide is subjected to high temperatures, it decomposes into carbon monoxide (CO) and oxygen (O2). The decomposition reaction can be represented as follows: 2CO2(g) → 2CO(g) + O2(g).

Given that the initial pressure of CO2 was 1.15 atm and assuming that the reaction goes to completion, the decomposition would result in the formation of 1.15 atm of CO and 0.575 atm of oxygen, because the reaction shows a 2:1 stoichiometry between CO2 and O2.

However, it is important to note that the equilibrium partial pressure of oxygen would depend on the equilibrium position, which is not provided in the question. Therefore, without additional information such as the reaction's equilibrium constant at 1000 °C, it is not possible to give a definitive answer.