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Ch.13 - Solutions & Their Properties
Chapter 13, Problem 86

Sulfur hexafluoride, which is used as a nonflammable insulator in high-voltage transformers, has a Henry’s law constant of 2.4 * 10⁻⁴ mol/L·atm at 25 °C. What is the solubility in mol/L of sulfur hexafluoride in water at 25 °C and a partial pressure of 2.00 atm?

Verified step by step guidance
1
Identify the given values: Henry's law constant \( k_H = 2.4 \times 10^{-4} \text{ mol/L·atm} \) and the partial pressure \( P = 2.00 \text{ atm} \).
Recall Henry's Law, which states that the solubility of a gas in a liquid is directly proportional to the partial pressure of the gas above the liquid. The formula is \( S = k_H \times P \), where \( S \) is the solubility.
Substitute the given values into the Henry's Law equation: \( S = (2.4 \times 10^{-4} \text{ mol/L·atm}) \times (2.00 \text{ atm}) \).
Perform the multiplication to find the solubility \( S \) in mol/L.
Interpret the result to understand the solubility of sulfur hexafluoride in water under the given conditions.

Key Concepts

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

Henry's Law

Henry's Law states that the amount of gas that dissolves in a liquid at a given temperature is directly proportional to the partial pressure of that gas above the liquid. This relationship can be expressed mathematically as C = kH * P, where C is the concentration of the gas in the liquid, kH is the Henry's law constant, and P is the partial pressure of the gas.
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Solubility

Solubility refers to the maximum amount of a substance that can dissolve in a given volume of solvent at a specific temperature and pressure. In the context of gases, solubility is often expressed in terms of molarity (mol/L), indicating how many moles of gas can be dissolved in one liter of solvent.
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Partial Pressure

Partial pressure is the pressure exerted by a single component of a mixture of gases. In the context of solubility, the partial pressure of a gas above a liquid influences how much of that gas can dissolve in the liquid, as described by Henry's Law. It is typically measured in atmospheres (atm) or other pressure units.
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