Multiple choice

A mixture of hydrogen and oxygen in 3 : 1 volume ratio is allowed to diffuse through a porous partition .What should be the composition of the initial gas diffusing out the vessel ?

  1. 2 : 1

  2. 4 : 1

  3. 8 : 1

  4. 12 : 1
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Explanation

According to Graham's Law of Diffusion, the rate of diffusion is inversely proportional to the square root of the molar mass. For H2 (M=2) and O2 (M=32), the rates are in ratio (3/sqrt(2)) : (1/sqrt(32)). This simplifies to (3/sqrt(2)) : (1/(4*sqrt(2))), which is 12:1.

AI explanation

According to Graham's law of diffusion, the rate of diffusion of a gas is inversely proportional to the square root of its density or molar mass. For hydrogen and oxygen, the ratio of their rates of diffusion is the square root of the ratio of their molar masses (32 divided by 2), which yields the square root of 16, or 4. Therefore, hydrogen diffuses four times faster than oxygen, making the rate ratio 4:1. Given their initial volume ratio is 3:1, the composition of the gas diffusing out initially will be the initial volume multiplied by the rate ratio, resulting in (3 multiplied by 4) to (1 multiplied by 1), which equals 12:1.

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