Question

Suppose that after the experiment, the chemist made a mistake and mixed up the storage of the elements Oxygen and Argon. How would the chemist be able to identify which element is which if both are currently at a room temperature of 23 degrees Celsius?

A. Use a heating device to determine which element transitions into a gas at -189.34 degrees Celsius
B. Use a cooling device to determine which element transitions into a gas at -189.34 degrees Celsius
C. Use a cooling device to determine which element transitions into a solid at -182.96 degrees Celsius
D. Use a cooling device to determine which element transitions into a liquid at -182.96 degrees Celsius

Answer 1

The chemist can use a cooling device to determine which element transitions into a gas at -189.34 degrees Celsius, allowing identification of oxygen and argon based on the temperature at which each changes phase. Option B is the correct choice.

Step-by-step explanation:

To identify which storage contains oxygen and which contains argon after a mix-up, the chemist needs to understand the properties of each element, particularly their points of phase transition. Both elements are gases at room temperature, so their behavior upon cooling will reveal their identities.

Option B is the correct choice. By using a cooling device to determine which element transitions into a gas at -189.34 degrees Celsius, the chemist can distinguish between the two. Oxygen transitions from a liquid to a gas at -183.0 degrees Celsius (90.20 K), whereas argon becomes a gas from a solid at -189.34 degrees Celsius (83.81 K). Thus, the sample that transitions into a gas at the lower temperature would be argon.

Options A, C, and D describe phase transitions that either do not correspond to the correct substances or temperatures or are not relevant to the elemental properties of oxygen and argon.