Can somebody tell me a list of (common) gases that are soluble, moderately soluble, and insoluble in water? I would like to know which gases can be collected using the downward displacement of water method.

CO2
O2
SO2
H2
CO
Noble gases
F2

Thank you!

I used to use the handbook of chemistry and physics "Rubber book" for this sort of problem, I presume there must be one available on-line or you could check you college library. So for the gases above

CO2 is partially soluble in water but can be collected by downward displacement of water if measures to prevent suck back are used.

O2 is also slightly soluble in water but there is no problem in collecting by downward displacement of water (this is a common school method to collect O2 to demonstrate properties of O2).

SO2 is soluble in water so cannot be collect in this way. Because SO2 is denser than air a sample is usually collected by upward displacement of air.

CO and H2 are slightly soluble in water but there is no problem in collecting by downward displacement of water(this is a common school method to collect H2 to demonstrate properties of H2).

Noble gases are not soluble in water and so there is no problem in collecting by downward displacement of water, if you have a source of the gas.

F2 reacts with water and forms O2 and HF.

Sure! When it comes to solubility in water, gases can be classified into three broad categories: soluble, moderately soluble, and insoluble. Let's go through the list of gases you provided and categorize them accordingly:

Soluble in water:
- CO2 (carbon dioxide): Carbon dioxide is highly soluble in water, so it readily dissolves to form carbonic acid. This solubility is the basis for carbonation in beverages.
- SO2 (sulfur dioxide): Sulfur dioxide is also soluble in water, and it combines with water to form sulfurous acid. This property is why sulfurous acid solutions are used as preservatives and bleaching agents.

Moderately soluble in water:
- O2 (oxygen): Oxygen is only moderately soluble in water. While it can dissolve to some extent, it is not as soluble as CO2 or SO2.
- CO (carbon monoxide): Carbon monoxide has moderate solubility in water. It can dissolve, but not as readily as the highly soluble gases.

Insoluble in water:
- H2 (hydrogen): Hydrogen gas is relatively insoluble in water. It does not have a significant tendency to dissolve in water.
- Noble gases: All the noble gases, including helium (He), neon (Ne), argon (Ar), krypton (Kr), xenon (Xe), and radon (Rn), are generally considered insoluble in water. They have very low solubilities.
- F2 (fluorine): Fluorine gas is also insoluble in water. It does not dissolve easily in water.

As for your second question about the downward displacement of water method for collecting gases, this technique involves capturing a gas by allowing it to displace water in an inverted container. By using this method, you can collect gases such as CO2, SO2, O2, CO, and even hydrogen (H2) if you collect it by upward displacement.

I hope this helps clarify the solubilities and the applicability of the downward displacement of water method for collecting gases!