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Ch 18: Thermal Properties of Matter
Chapter 18, Problem 18

Modern vacuum pumps make it easy to attain pressures of the order of 10^-13 atm in the laboratory. Consider a volume of air and treat the air as an ideal gas. (a) At a pressure of 9.00 * 10^-14 atm and an ordinary temperature of 300.0 K, how many molecules are present in a volume of 1.00 cm^3?

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Identify the given values: Pressure (P) = 9.00 \times 10^{-14} \text{ atm}, Temperature (T) = 300.0 \text{ K}, Volume (V) = 1.00 \text{ cm}^3 = 1.00 \times 10^{-3} \text{ L}.
Use the Ideal Gas Law equation, which is PV = nRT. Here, n is the number of moles, R is the ideal gas constant (0.0821 \text{ L atm K}^{-1} \text{ mol}^{-1}), and rearrange the equation to solve for n (number of moles): n = \frac{PV}{RT}.
Substitute the values into the rearranged Ideal Gas Law to calculate the number of moles of air in the given volume.
Convert the number of moles of air to the number of molecules by using Avogadro's number (6.022 \times 10^{23} \text{ molecules/mol}). Multiply the number of moles by Avogadro's number to find the total number of molecules: \text{Number of molecules} = n \times 6.022 \times 10^{23}.
Ensure units are consistent throughout the calculations, especially when substituting values into the equations.

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Key Concepts

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

Ideal Gas Law

The Ideal Gas Law relates the pressure, volume, temperature, and number of moles of an ideal gas through the equation PV = nRT. In this context, P is the pressure, V is the volume, n is the number of moles, R is the ideal gas constant, and T is the temperature in Kelvin. This law allows us to calculate the number of gas molecules in a given volume under specific conditions.
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Avogadro's Number

Avogadro's Number, approximately 6.022 x 10^23, is the number of molecules in one mole of a substance. This constant is crucial for converting between the number of moles and the number of molecules, enabling calculations involving the quantity of gas present in a specific volume at a given pressure and temperature.
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Pressure Units

Pressure is a measure of force per unit area, commonly expressed in atmospheres (atm) in this context. Understanding pressure units is essential for interpreting the conditions of the gas. In this problem, the pressure of 9.00 x 10^-14 atm indicates a very low pressure, which is significant for calculating the number of gas molecules in the specified volume.
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