You are tasked with designing an experiment to characterize the deviation from…
CHEMISTRY · Multi-part · AP · Chemistry · Properties of Substances and Mixtures · Properties of Substances and Mixtures
Problem
You are tasked with designing an experiment to characterize the deviation from ideality of an unknown noble gas at room temperature. The available laboratory apparatus allows pressures up to 3000atm and precise measurement of both pressure and volume.
(a) Propose a detailed experimental procedure, including the measurements you would record, to determine the compressibility factor Z of the gas over the range 100atm to 3000atm at 298K.
(b) Explain how the data you collect could be analyzed to distinguish between deviations arising from intermolecular attractions and those arising from the finite molecular volume of the gas.
(c) Suppose your measurements yield Z=1.00 at 100atm and Z=1.12 at 3000atm. Based on these values, reason whether the atomic radius of the unknown noble gas is likely to be larger or smaller than that of neon. Support your conclusion.
(d) Suggest one practical modification to the experimental conditions (other than lowering the pressure) that would reduce the positive deviation observed at 3000atm. Explain the chemical rationale behind your suggestion.