: 1.0 L of an unknown gas was allowed to effuse through a small opening under constant pressure conditionssuppose you have two 1-liter flasks, one containing n2 at STP, the other containing CH4 at STP
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To determine the formula of the unknown gas using effusion, we can use Graham's Law of Effusion. Graham's Law states that the rate of effusion of a gas is inversely proportional to the square root of its molar mass.
First, let's calculate the rate of effusion for each gas.
For N2 at STP:
Molar mass of N2 = 28.02 g/mol
Rate of effusion for N2 = 1 / sqrt(28.02) = 0.189 L/s
For CH4 at STP:
Molar mass of CH4 = 16.04 g/mol
Rate of effusion for CH4 = 1 / sqrt(16.04) = 0.25 L/s
Now, let's compare the rate of effusion for each gas. Since the rate of effusion is inversely proportional to the square root of the molar mass, the gas with the lower rate of effusion has the higher molar mass.
In this case, the rate of effusion for N2 (0.189 L/s) is lower than the rate of effusion for CH4 (0.25 L/s). Therefore, the molar mass of N2 is higher than the molar mass of CH4.
Hence, the unknown gas is more likely to be N2, as it has a higher molar mass compared to CH4.