The contents of a can of air freshener are gaseous when sprayed, but remain a liquid while
in the can due to ___.
internal pressure in the can
It doesnt say that in the test
Sorry I'm a little late but scince PsyDAG said internal pressure it would be pressure. I hope this helps and good luck!
The contents of a can of air freshener are gaseous when sprayed but remain a liquid while in the can due to a phenomenon called "vapor pressure." Vapor pressure is the pressure exerted by the gaseous particles in equilibrium with the liquid or solid phase.
In the case of the air freshener, the liquid inside the can is typically a mixture of various aromatic compounds and a propellant, such as a liquefied gas like propane or butane. When the can is closed, the propellant is in a liquid state because of the pressure inside the can.
However, when the valve of the can is pressed, it opens, allowing the propellant to escape. The sudden decrease in pressure causes the propellant to rapidly boil and convert into a gas. This change of state from liquid to gas releases the scented liquid particles suspended in the gas, dispersing them into the air.
The remaining liquid in the can doesn't immediately convert into a gas because of the balance between the pressure inside the can and the vapor pressure of the liquid. The vapor pressure of the liquid is the pressure exerted by the gaseous particles above the liquid surface.
While the can is closed, the vapor pressure is in equilibrium with the liquid, meaning the rate at which liquid particles evaporate into the gas phase is the same as the rate at which gas particles condense back into the liquid phase. This equilibrium maintains the liquid state inside the can.
So, it is the equilibrium between the vapor pressure and the external pressure inside the can that causes the liquid contents of the air freshener to remain in a liquid state while in the can, even though they are gaseous when sprayed.