Chlorine occurs as a mixture of two isotopes, 35Cl and 37Cl. What is the ratio of the diffusion rates of the three species 135Cl22, 35Cl37Cl, and 137Cl22?

Isotopes are variants of a chemical element that have the same number of protons but different numbers of neutrons, resulting in different atomic masses. For chlorine, the isotopes 35Cl and 37Cl differ in mass, which affects their physical properties, including diffusion rates. Understanding isotopes is crucial for analyzing how they behave in various chemical processes.

Graham's Law states that the rate of effusion or diffusion of a gas is inversely proportional to the square root of its molar mass. This principle allows us to compare the diffusion rates of different isotopes by calculating the ratio of their rates based on their respective molar masses. It is essential for predicting how quickly different isotopes will diffuse in a mixture.

Molar mass is the mass of one mole of a substance, typically expressed in grams per mole (g/mol). For isotopes, the molar mass is determined by the total number of protons and neutrons in the nucleus. In the context of diffusion, knowing the molar masses of the isotopes involved is necessary to apply Graham's Law and calculate the diffusion rate ratios accurately.