A chemical reaction takes place in a container

of cross-sectional area 100 cm2
. As a result of
the reaction, a piston is pushed out through 19
cm against an external pressure of 596 torr.
What is the value for w for this reaction?

A chemical reaction takes place in a container of cross-sectional area 100 cm2.

As a result of the reaction, a piston is pushed out through 10 cm against an
external pressure of 1.0 atm

To find the value for 'w' in this chemical reaction, we need to use the equation:

w = -PΔV

where:
w is the work done on or by the system,
P is the external pressure, and
ΔV is the change in volume.

In this case, the external pressure (P) is given as 596 torr, and the change in volume (ΔV) is given as 19 cm^3 (since the piston is pushed out).

However, we need to convert the units of pressure and volume to be consistent with each other. The torr unit is not part of the International System of Units (SI), so we should convert it to a unit like pascals (Pa) or atmospheres (atm).

Let's convert torr to atm:
1 atm = 760 torr

So, 596 torr is approximately:

596 torr * (1 atm / 760 torr) ≈ 0.7839 atm

Now that we have the external pressure in atm, we can proceed with the calculation.

Using the formula, we have:

w = -PΔV
w = -0.7839 atm * 19 cm^3

However, we need to convert the volume from cm^3 to liters (L) because the unit of pressure is atm and the standard unit of volume is L.

1 L = 1000 cm^3

So, 19 cm^3 is approximately:

19 cm^3 * (1 L / 1000 cm^3) ≈ 0.019 L

Now, let's substitute the values into the formula:

w = -0.7839 atm * 0.019 L
w ≈ -0.0149 atm*L

Therefore, the value for w in this reaction is approximately -0.0149 atm*L.