2012 First Midterm Test
2012 First Midterm Test
Part A. Answer each of the six questions with a few sentences or equations where necessary.
(5 Marks each)
1. When calculating the pressure of a sample of gas at high pressure, why is the size of the gas molecules
important and how is it taken into account in the van der Waals equation?
If the pressure is high enough, the gas molecules are very close together, and therefore take up a
significant portion of the volume of the container. V is therefore replaced by V nb in the van der
Waals equation, where nb is the actual volume taken up by n moles of gas.
The van der Waals equation therefore has the term in it.
2. Which gas molecules prevent UV radiation in the following wavelength ranges from reaching the
surface of the Earth?
(a) 0 100 nm N2 O
(b) 100 200 nm O2
(c) 200 300 nm O3
A state function is a function whose value does not depend on the path taken from reactants, nor on the
rate of the reaction. An example is enthalpy change (H), or internal energy change (E).
Cooling a gas means the gas loses internal energy. Expanding a gas means the gas does work on the
surroundings, which also causes the gas to lose internal energy. E is therefore negative.
5. The standard enthalpy of formation of NO(g) is positive. What can you conclude about the relative bond
strengths in N2, O2 and NO?
The bond strength in NO must be less than the sum of the bond strengths in N2 and O2.
6. Consider a sample of Ar(g) at 100oC and a sample of Ne(g) also at 100oC. Compare and explain (without
doing any calculations):
B1. (a) Use the van der Waals equation to calculate the pressure (in bar) exerted by 10 moles of argon gas in
a 1.50 L container at 150.0oC. For argon, a = 1.355 bar L2 mol-2 and b = 0.0320 L mol-1.
2
nRT n
p a
V nb V
L bar
10 mol(0.08314 )(150 273)K 2
mol K 2 10 mol
1.355 bar L mol
2
1.50 L 10 mol(0.0320 L mol1 ) 1.50 L
298 bar 60 bar
238 bar
(b) Explain why it would not have been appropriate to use the ideal gas equation in part (a) above.
The pressure is so high that the molecules are close together. In these circumstances, we must account
for both the volume occupied by the molecules themselves, and for the fact that they attract one another.
The van der Waals equation does this with the b and a terms respectively.
(c) A 10.0 L vessel contains Ar(g) and Kr(g) at 150oC. The total pressure is 0.500 bar. The mole fraction
of Ar(g) is 0.370. Calculate the mass (in g) of each gas present.
The total amount of gas present can be found from the ideal gas equation:
pV
n=
RT
0.500 bar(10.0 L)
=
0.08314 L bar K -1mol-1 (150 + 273.15)K
= 0.142 mol
Because the mole fraction of Ar(g) is 0.37, the number of moles of Ar(g) is 0.37(0.142 mol) = 0.0526 mol,
and the mass of Ar(g) is:
mAr(g) = nM
= 0.0526 mol(39.95 g mol-1 )
= 2.10 g
The amount of Kr(g) present must be 0.142 mol 0.0526 mol = 0.0894 mol
(this could also be calculated as 0.63(0.142 mol) = 0.0894 mol)
mKr(g) = nM
= 0.0894 mol(83.80 g mol-1 )
= 7.49 g
3
-1 o
B2. (a) Calculate the density (in g L ) of Xenon gas (Xe) at 25 C and 1 bar.
pM
=
RT
1 bar(131.29 g mol-1 )
=
0.08314 L bar K -1mol-1 (25 + 273.15)K
= 5.30 g L-1
(b) Under certain conditions, 7.3 moles of CH4(g) diffuses through a porous membrane. Calculate how
many moles of SiH4(g) will diffuse through the same porous membrane under the same conditions in the
same time.
rateCH4 MSiH4
=
rateSiH4 M CH4
28.09 + 4(1.008)
12.01+ 4(1.008)
= 1.42
Rearranging,
rateCH4
rateSiH4 =
1.42
7.3 mol
=
1.42
= 5.1 mol
(c) Calculate the standard enthalpy change for the reaction O3(g) + Cl(g) ClO(g) + O2(g) using the
following data:
q = CT
= 47.00 kJ o C-1 (25.55 - 23.40) o C
= 101.05 kJ
= 101050J
101050J
= 24 Cal
4180 J Cal-1
24 Cal
= 5.93 Cal / g candy
4.05 g candy
(b) For the reaction 2 Cu2O(s) + O2(g) 4 CuO(s), the enthalpy change upon reaction of 70.61 g of Cu2O
is 72.05 kJ. Calculate the work, w (in J), when 70.61 g of Cu2O is reacted at a constant pressure of
1.00 bar and 25.0oC.
70.61 g Cu 2O
= 0.493 mol Cu 2O
(2(63.55) +16.00)g mol-1
This amount of Cu2O would consume half as much oxygen, i.e. 0.247 mol O2(g)
nRT
V=
p
0.247 mol(0.08314 L bar K -1mol-1 )(25 + 273.15)K
=
1.00 bar
= 6.11 L
The change in volume is therefore V = -6.11 L (because this much oxygen is consumed).
w = -pV
= -1 bar(-6.11 L)
= 6.11 L bar
100 J
6.11 L bar = 611 J
1 L bar
5
B4. (a) A 4.90 g sample of AlCl36H2O is heated such that the water is driven off and turned to steam.
Assuming ideal behavior, what volume would the steam occupy at 1.03 bar and 100.0oC?
4.90 g AlCl3 6H 2O
0.0203 mol AlCl3 6H 2O
(26.98 3(35.45) 6(16.00 2(1.008)))g mol-1
n H2O(g) RT
V=
p
0.122 mol(0.08314 L bar K -1mol-1 )(100 + 273.15)K
=
1.03 bar
= 3.67 L
(b) Heating sodium azide, NaN3(s), causes it to decompose violently according to the reaction:
2 NaN3(s) 2 Na(s) + 3 N2(g)
The reaction is used to inflate airbags in cars during an accident. If an airbag needs to be inflated to
185 L, how many grams of sodium azide must be heated? Assume the temperature is 22oC and the
pressure is 0.95 bar.
pV
n N2(g) =
RT
0.95 bar(185 L)
=
0.08314 L bar K -1mol-1 (22 + 273.15)K
= 7.16 mol
This amount of N2(g) would be obtained from:
and the mass of this much NaN3(s) is 4.77 mol (22.99+3(14.01))g mol-1 = 310 g NaN3(s)