A fixed amount of oxygen gas is held in a .500 L tank at a pressure of 4.68 atm. The tank is connected to an empty 1.50 L tank by a tube with a valve. After this valve has been opened and the oxygen is allowed to flow freely between the two tanks at a constant temperature, what is the final pressure in the system?

P1V1 = P2V2

V1 = 0.5
V2 - 2.0

can you explain?

To find the final pressure in the system after the oxygen gas flows freely between the two tanks, we can use the principle of the combined gas law. The combined gas law can be stated as:

(P1 * V1) / T1 = (P2 * V2) / T2

where P1 and P2 are the initial and final pressures, V1 and V2 are the initial and final volumes, and T1 and T2 are the initial and final temperatures.

In this case, the initial pressure P1 is 4.68 atm (given), and the initial volume V1 is 0.500 L (given). Since the temperature is constant, we can assume T1 and T2 are the same.

Next, we need to find the final volume V2. Since the oxygen flows freely between the two tanks, the combined volume of the two tanks is equal to the sum of their individual volumes. So, V2 is the sum of the initial volume of the empty tank (0 L) and the initial volume of the tank with oxygen (0.500 L), which gives V2 = 0.500 L.

Now we can substitute these values into the combined gas law equation:

(4.68 atm * 0.500 L) / T1 = (P2 * 0.500 L) / T1

The T1 temperature cancels out, giving:

(4.68 atm * 0.500 L) = P2 * 0.500 L

Now we can solve for P2, the final pressure:

P2 = (4.68 atm * 0.500 L) / 0.500 L

P2 = 4.68 atm

Therefore, the final pressure in the system is 4.68 atm.