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Ch.10 - Gases: Their Properties & Behavior
Chapter 10, Problem 90a

Natural gas is a mixture of hydrocarbons, primarily methane 1CH42 and ethane 1C2H62. A typical mixture might have Xmethane = 0.915 and Xethane = 0.085. Let's assume that we have a 15.50 g sample of natural gas in a volume of 15.00 L at a temperature of 20.00 °C. (a) How many total moles of gas are in the sample?

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Key Concepts

Here are the essential concepts you must grasp in order to answer the question correctly.

Molar Mass

Molar mass is the mass of one mole of a substance, typically expressed in grams per mole (g/mol). For hydrocarbons like methane (CH4) and ethane (C2H6), the molar masses are approximately 16.04 g/mol and 30.07 g/mol, respectively. Understanding molar mass is essential for converting between grams and moles, which is necessary for calculating the total moles of gas in a sample.
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Ideal Gas Law

The Ideal Gas Law is a fundamental equation in chemistry that relates the pressure, volume, temperature, and number of moles of a gas. It is expressed as PV = nRT, where P is pressure, V is volume, n is the number of moles, R is the ideal gas constant, and T is temperature in Kelvin. This law allows us to calculate the number of moles of gas present in a given volume and conditions, which is crucial for solving the problem.
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Mole Fraction

Mole fraction is a way of expressing the concentration of a component in a mixture, defined as the ratio of the number of moles of that component to the total number of moles in the mixture. In the context of natural gas, knowing the mole fractions of methane and ethane helps in determining their contributions to the total moles of gas. This concept is important for understanding the composition of the gas sample and performing calculations related to it.
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Related Practice
Textbook Question
A sample of magnesium metal reacts with aqueous HCl to yield H2 gas: Mg1s2 + 2 HCl1aq2¡MgCl21aq2 + H21g2 The gas that forms is found to have a volume of 3.557 L at 25 °C and a pressure of 747 mm Hg. Assuming that the gas is saturated with water vapor at a partial pressure of 23.8 mm Hg, what is the partial pressure in millimeters of mercury of the H2? How many grams of magnesium metal were used in the reaction?
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Textbook Question

Chlorine gas was first prepared in 1774 by the oxidation of NaCl with MnO2: 2 NaCl(s) + 2 H2SO4(l) + MnO2(s) → Na2SO4(s) + MnSO4(s) + 2 H2O(g) + Cl2(g) Assume that the gas produced is saturated with water vapor at a partial pressure of 28.7 mm Hg and that it has a volume of 0.597 L at 27 °C and 755 mm Hg pressure. (a) What is the mole fraction of Cl2 in the gas?

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Textbook Question

Chlorine gas was first prepared in 1774 by the oxidation of NaCl with MnO2: 2 NaCl(s) + 2 H2SO4(l) + MnO2(s) → Na2SO4(s) + MnSO4(s) + 2 H2O(g) + Cl2(g) Assume that the gas produced is saturated with water vapor at a partial pressure of 28.7 mm Hg and that it has a volume of 0.597 L at 27 °C and 755 mm Hg pressure. (b) How many grams of NaCl were used in the experiment, assuming complete reaction?

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Textbook Question

Natural gas is a mixture of hydrocarbons, primarily methane (CH4) and ethane (C2H6). A typical mixture might have Xmethane = 0.915 and Xethane = 0.085. Let's assume that we have a 15.50 g sample of natural gas in a volume of 15.00 L at a temperature of 20.00 °C. (b) What is the pressure of the sample in atmospheres?

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Textbook Question

Natural gas is a mixture of hydrocarbons, primarily methane (CH4) and ethane (C2H6). A typical mixture might have Xmethane = 0.915 and Xethane = 0.085. Let's assume that we have a 15.50 g sample of natural gas in a volume of 15.00 L at a temperature of 20.00 °C. (c) What is the partial pressure of each component in the sample in atmospheres?

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Textbook Question

Gaseous compound Q contains only xenon and oxygen. When 0.100 g of Q is placed in a 50.0-mL steel vessel at 0 °C the pressure is 0.229 atm. (a) What is the molar mass of Q, and what is a likely formula?

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