A 60.0 mL volume of a gas was found to have a pressure of 2.0 atm at 25°C. What will be the new volume if the pressure is changed to 0.50 atm at constant temperature?

1 Answer
Meave60
May 10, 2016

The second volume will be 240 mL.

Explanation:

This is an example of Boyle's law, which states that the volume of a given amount of a gas kept at constant temperature varies inversely with the pressure. In other words, if the volume increases, the pressure decreases, and vice versa. The equation to use is P_1V_1=P_2V_2.

Given
P_1="2.0 atm"
V_1="60.0 mL"
P_2="0.50 atm"

Unknown
V_2=???"

Solution
Rearrange the equation to isolate V_2. Substitute the given values into the equation and solve.

P_1V_1=P_2V_2

V_2=(P_1V_1)/P_2

V_2=((2.0"atm"xx60.0"mL"))/(0.5"atm")="240 mL"

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