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

You have several identical balloons. You experimentally determine that a balloon will break if its volume exceeds 0.900 L. The pressure of the gas inside the balloon equals air pressure (1.00 atm). (a) If the air inside the balloon is at a constant 22.0°C and behaves as an ideal gas, what mass of air can you blow into one of the balloons before it bursts?

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Identify the given values: The maximum volume of the balloon, V = 0.900 L, the pressure inside the balloon, P = 1.00 atm, and the temperature, T = 22.0°C. Convert the temperature to Kelvin by adding 273.15 to the Celsius temperature.
Use the ideal gas law equation, PV = nRT, where P is the pressure, V is the volume, n is the number of moles of gas, R is the ideal gas constant (0.0821 L atm K^{-1} mol^{-1}), and T is the temperature in Kelvin.
Rearrange the ideal gas law to solve for n, the number of moles of air in the balloon: n = \frac{PV}{RT}.
Calculate the mass of air in the balloon. First, find the molar mass of air, which is approximately 28.97 g/mol. Then, use the number of moles calculated in the previous step and multiply by the molar mass to find the mass of air: mass = n \times molar\ mass.
This calculated mass will be the maximum amount of air you can blow into the balloon before it bursts, as it corresponds to the conditions under which the balloon reaches its maximum volume without breaking.

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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 is a fundamental equation in physics and 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 predict how gases will behave under different conditions, making it essential for solving problems involving gas volumes and masses.
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Molar Mass of Air

The molar mass of air is the average mass of one mole of air molecules, which is approximately 29 g/mol. This value is crucial for converting between the number of moles of air and its mass. In the context of the problem, knowing the molar mass allows us to calculate how much mass of air can be contained in the balloon based on the volume and conditions provided.
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Volume and Pressure Relationship

The relationship between volume and pressure of a gas is described by Boyle's Law, which states that at constant temperature, the pressure of a gas is inversely proportional to its volume. This means that as the volume of a gas increases, its pressure decreases, and vice versa. Understanding this relationship is important for determining how much air can be added to the balloon before it reaches its breaking point, as the pressure must remain constant at 1.00 atm.
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