A rigid, perfectly insulated container is divided by a removable partition. Side X…

CHEMISTRY · Single correct · AP · Chemistry · Thermodynamics and Electrochemistry · Thermodynamics and Electrochemistry

Problem

A rigid, perfectly insulated container is divided by a removable partition. Side X contains 1 mol of an ideal gas at 500 K occupying 5 L, and side Y contains 1 mol of the same gas at 500 K occupying 1 L. The partition is suddenly removed. Which of the following outcomes is most consistent with the second law of thermodynamics? (a) The gases remain confined to their original sides because no temperature gradient exists, so the entropy change is zero and no spontaneous mixing occurs. (b) The gas spontaneously redistributes until all

2\,\text{mol}

occupy the full

6\,\text{L}

volume, thereby increasing the system’s entropy. (c) All

2\,\text{mol}

of gas end up occupying only the original

5\,\text{L}

on side X, leaving a vacuum on side Y and decreasing the system’s entropy. (d) Although the gases mix throughout the

6\,\text{L}

, they are identical, so the entropy change is zero and the process is reversible.

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