A sealed container of liquid develops some vapor pressure. Which of the following would reduce the vapor pressure?
increase the temperature
add more liquid to the container
decrease the temperature
To understand which of the given options will reduce the vapor pressure of a sealed container of liquid, we need to first define what vapor pressure is.
Vapor pressure refers to the pressure exerted by the vapor molecules above the liquid surface when the system is in a state of equilibrium. This pressure is a result of molecules from the liquid phase continuously evaporating into the gas phase and molecules from the gas phase condensing back into the liquid phase.
Now, let's evaluate the given options:
1. Increase the temperature: Increasing the temperature of the system will actually increase the vapor pressure. This is because the heat provides more energy to the liquid molecules, causing an increase in the rate of evaporation and consequently raising the vapor pressure.
2. Add more liquid to the container: Adding more liquid to the container will not directly reduce the vapor pressure. In fact, it may increase the vapor pressure slightly since there will be more liquid molecules available to evaporate. However, if the added liquid does not change the temperature of the system, the effect on the vapor pressure will be minimal.
3. Decrease the temperature: Decreasing the temperature of the system will reduce the vapor pressure. This is because lower temperatures result in less kinetic energy for the liquid molecules, reducing the rate of evaporation and therefore, lowering the vapor pressure.
Therefore, out of the given options, the one that will reduce the vapor pressure of a sealed container of liquid is to decrease the temperature.