The apparatus shown here has two gas-filled containers and one empty container, all attached to a hollow horizontal tube. Assume that the containers are of equal volume and ignore the volume of the connecting tube. Which gas has the greater partial pressure after the valves are opened?

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Identify the number of gas particles in each container. The left container has green particles, and the right container has brown particles.

Count the number of green particles in the left container and the number of brown particles in the right container.

Assume that the containers are of equal volume and that the temperature is constant.

Use the ideal gas law, PV = nRT, to understand that the pressure is directly proportional to the number of particles (n) when volume (V) and temperature (T) are constant.

Compare the number of particles in each container to determine which gas has the greater partial pressure after the valves are opened.

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Key Concepts

Here are the essential concepts you must grasp in order to answer the question correctly.

Partial Pressure

Partial pressure is the pressure exerted by a single gas in a mixture of gases. According to Dalton's Law of Partial Pressures, the total pressure of a gas mixture is equal to the sum of the partial pressures of each individual gas. This concept is crucial for understanding how gases behave in a shared volume, especially when valves are opened to allow gas to mix.

Gas Laws

Gas laws describe the relationships between pressure, volume, temperature, and the number of moles of a gas. The Ideal Gas Law (PV=nRT) is particularly relevant here, as it relates these variables in a way that helps predict how gases will behave when conditions change, such as when the valves in the apparatus are opened.

Mole Fraction

Mole fraction is a way of expressing the concentration of a component in a mixture. It is defined as the ratio of the number of moles of a specific gas to the total number of moles of all gases present. Understanding mole fraction is essential for determining the partial pressures of the gases in the containers after the valves are opened, as it directly influences the distribution of pressure in the system.

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The apparatus shown here has two gas-filled containers and one empty container, all attached to a hollow horizontal tube. When the valves are opened and the gases are allowed to mix at constant temperature, what is the distribution of atoms in each container?

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Consider the following graph. (a) If curves A and B refer to two different gases, He and O2, at the same temperature, which curve corresponds to He?