Andrew has a closed flask of 70% Nitrogen and 30% Oxygen. The total pressure of the flask was determined to be 5 atm. What is the partial pressure of oxygen in the flask?
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To calculate the partial pressure of oxygen in the flask, we use Dalton's Law of Partial Pressures, which states that in a mixture of non-reacting gases, the total pressure of the mixture is equal to the sum of the partial pressures of the individual gases.
The formula for finding the partial pressure of a gas is: Partial pressure of a gas = (Mole fraction of the gas) × (Total pressure of the mixture)
The mole fraction is the percentage of the gas in the mixture expressed as a fraction.
Since we have 70% Nitrogen and 30% Oxygen, the mole fraction of Oxygen is 30%, or 0.30 when expressed as a decimal.
Given that the total pressure of the flask is 5 atm, we can calculate the partial pressure of Oxygen as follows:
Partial pressure of Oxygen = 0.30 × 5 atm = 1.5 atm
So, the partial pressure of Oxygen in the flask is 1.5 atm.