Question

The apparatus show consists of three bulbs connected by stop corks. What is the pressure inside the system when stop corks are opened? Assume that lines connecting the bulbs have zero volume and that the temperature remains constant.Assume ideal nature for gases.

Answer 1

(1) Each gas expands independently from its initial volume to a total volume of 4.50 L. In other words, we have a simple Boyles law problem for each gas.

Thus we can write,

$P_2=\frac{P_1{V}_1}{V_2}=\frac{P_1{V}_1}{4.50L}$ for each gas

(2)The partial pressures of the gases then add up to total pressure in accordance with Daltons Law.

we have,

$P_{total}=\frac{1}{4.50L}\left[2.13atm\right(1.50L)+0.861atm(1.00L)+1.15atm(2.00L\left)\right]$

$=\frac{1}{4.50L}\left[\right(3.195+0.861+2.30\left)Latm\right]$

$=\frac{1}{4.50L}\left[6.356Latm\right]$

$=1.412atm$