Question

Formaldehyde (H₂CO) vaporizes at temperatures above -19°C. Chlorine pentafluoride gas vaporizes at temperatures above -13°C. If at 1.25 atm and 50°C, formaldehyde gas effuses through a small opening at a rate of 2.00 x 1021 molecules per day, at what rate (in molecules per day) will chlorine pentafluoride effuse through the same small opening at 0°C if the pressure is unchanged? ​

Answer 1

In order to calculate the rate at which chlorine pentafluoride will effuse through the same small opening at 0°C under the same pressure, we can use the formula for effusion rate, which is directly proportional to the square root of the molar mass of the gas.

Step-by-step explanation:

Effusion rate is directly proportional to the square root of the molar mass of the gas. Thus, if formaldehyde (H₂CO) effuses at a rate of 2.00 x 10^21 molecules per day at 1.25 atm and 50°C, we can calculate the rate at which chlorine pentafluoride (ClF₅) will effuse at 0°C under the same pressure.

First, we need to calculate the ratio of the effusion rates by applying the formula:

Rate₁/Rate₂ = √(Molar Mass₂/Molar Mass₁)

Since the effusion rate of formaldehyde is given, we can rearrange the formula to solve for the effusion rate of chlorine pentafluoride:

Rate₂ = Rate₁ * √(Molar Mass₂/Molar Mass₁)

By substituting the given values and solving for Rate₂, we can determine the rate at which chlorine pentafluoride will effuse through the small opening at 0°C under the same pressure.