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Ch 18: A Macroscopic Description of Matter
Chapter 18, Problem 18

A 20-cm-diameter cylinder that is 40 cm long contains 50 g of oxygen gas at 20°C. c. What is the number density of the oxygen?

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1
Calculate the volume of the cylinder using the formula for the volume of a cylinder, \( V = \pi r^2 h \), where \( r \) is the radius and \( h \) is the height. Convert the diameter to radius by dividing by 2, and ensure all measurements are in meters.
Convert the mass of oxygen gas from grams to kilograms for consistency in SI units.
Use the molar mass of oxygen (approximately 32 g/mol) to convert the mass of oxygen to moles using the formula \( n = \frac{m}{M} \), where \( m \) is the mass and \( M \) is the molar mass.
Calculate the number density of the oxygen gas, which is the number of molecules per unit volume. Use Avogadro's number (\(6.022 \times 10^{23} \) molecules/mol) to find the total number of molecules. The number density \( N \) is given by \( N = \frac{N_{\text{total}}}{V} \), where \( N_{\text{total}} = n \times \text{Avogadro's number} \).
Substitute all the values into the formula to find the number density of the oxygen gas in the cylinder.

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Key Concepts

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

Number Density

Number density is defined as the number of particles (atoms, molecules, etc.) per unit volume. It is typically expressed in units such as particles per cubic meter (m³). In this context, calculating the number density of oxygen gas involves determining how many molecules of oxygen are present in the given volume of the cylinder.
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Ideal Gas Law

The Ideal Gas Law relates the pressure, volume, temperature, and number of moles of a gas through the equation PV = nRT. This law is essential for understanding the behavior of gases under various conditions. In this problem, it can be used to find the number of moles of oxygen, which is necessary for calculating the number density.
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Volume of a Cylinder

The volume of a cylinder can be calculated using the formula V = πr²h, where r is the radius and h is the height (or length) of the cylinder. This geometric concept is crucial for determining the total volume of the cylinder containing the oxygen gas, which is needed to compute the number density.
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