Question

Problem 2: I told you it would show up again! (8 pts) Consider two different 500 ml vessels, each crammed with 1 mole of gas at 500 K. In one vessel, the gas is water, H20. In the other vessel is ethane, C2H6. Notably, these two gases are special: the van der Waal's parameter value for a is roughly the same as each: a = 5.54 L2 bar/ mol? (water), 0 = 5.56 L bar/mol (ethane). Because a is the same for these two gases, the intermolecular forces will NOT result in a different pressure between the two vessels. Nevertheless, the two vessels show different pressures. Here are the structural formulas for water and ethane: HH Oo H-C¢H H H Which vessel--the one with water or the one with ethane-has the higher pressure and why? Be sure to explain your reasoning, with or without the use of equations.

Answer 1

Vander waals gas equation; (P + a ) + (V=nb) = net a and b are van der waal's constant he Given that : (9) water = (9) ethane But (b) water < (b ethane 'b' is measure of size. If b increases; (V-nb) decreases; p Increases so; vessel with ethane has the higher pressure due to high value of t.