If oxygen is removed from a sample of air as iron rusts, what happens to the total pressure of the air?

When oxygen is removed from a sample of air as iron rusts, the total pressure of the air will decrease. This is because oxygen molecules contribute to the overall pressure of the air. When oxygen is removed, the number of oxygen molecules decreases, leading to a decrease in the total pressure.

When iron rusts, a chemical reaction occurs between iron and oxygen, resulting in the formation of iron oxide (rust). This reaction consumes the oxygen present in the air.

To understand the effect of oxygen removal on the total pressure of the air, we need to consider the ideal gas law, which states that the total pressure of a gas mixture is equal to the sum of the partial pressures of its components. In this case, the oxygen and other gases (such as nitrogen) in the air contribute to the total pressure.

As oxygen is removed from the air during the rusting process, the partial pressure of oxygen decreases. However, since the other gases are still present, their partial pressure remains the same. Consequently, the total pressure of the air decreases because only a portion of the gas mixture has been removed.

It's important to note that the change in total pressure will be relatively small unless a significant amount of oxygen is consumed during the rusting process.

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