Deriving the Relationship Between Pressure, Boiling Point, and Height

In summary, the conversation discusses the relationship between pressure and height in air and water. The given expression for air pressure is differentiated with respect to temperature, and the resulting expression is used to solve for the boiling point of water. The exercise asks to find the rate of change of boiling point with height, which is achieved by differentiating the boiling point expression with respect to height. Further assistance is needed to continue with the exercise.
  • #1
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I'm given an expression for the pressure of air with height z, as

[itex]P(z)=P(0)e^{(-mgz/k_bT)}[/itex]

Where m is the molecular weight of air. It's know that the pressure of water varies with height above sea-level due to the variation of the pressure of the air. The excercise is about to show that the rate of change of the boiling point, Tb, with height, z, is given by the following expression,

[itex]\frac{dT_b}{dz}=-\frac{P(z)mg}{K_bT}\frac{dT_b}{dP}=-\frac{P(z)mgT_b}{K_bT}\frac{T_b(\rho_L-\rho_G)}{\rho_L\rho_GL_{LG}}[/itex]

Where [itex]\rho_L[/itex] is the mass density of water, [itex]\rho_G[/itex] is the mass vapour density and [itex]L_{LG}[/itex] is the latent heat per unit mass.

Relevant equation,

[itex]L_{LG}=T_b\Delta S[/itex] (1)


[itex]\frac{dP}{dT}=\frac{L_{LG}}{T_b\Delta V}[/itex] (2)

My attempt:

I differentiate the given expression for the pressure with respect to the temperature, according to equation (2) to get the following,

[itex]\frac{dP}{dT}=\frac{d}{dT}P(z)=\frac{mgz}{k_bT^2}P(z)=\frac{L_{LG}}{T_b\Delta V}[/itex]

Solving for the boiling point, Tb, gives,


[itex]T_b=\frac{L_{LG}k_bT^2}{\Delta V mgzP(z)}[/itex]

To find the relation which is asked in the excercise, I differentiate Tb with respect to z,

[itex]\frac{dT_b}{dz}=\frac{L_{LG}k_bT^2}{\Delta V mg}(-\frac{1}{z^2P(z)}+\frac{mg}{k_bTzP(z)})=\frac{L_{LG}T(mgz-k_BT)}{\Delta V mgz^2P(z)}[/itex]

Which is basically as far as I'm coming with this expression. I would appreciate help/hints about how to get further with this expression.
 
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  • #2
I'm sorry you are not finding help at the moment. Is there any additional information you can share with us?
 

1. What is pressure and how does it affect boiling point?

Pressure is the force exerted by a substance per unit area. In the case of boiling point, an increase in pressure will cause the boiling point to increase, while a decrease in pressure will cause the boiling point to decrease. This is because pressure affects the amount of energy required for a liquid to overcome its intermolecular forces and turn into a gas.

2. How does altitude affect boiling point?

As altitude increases, the air pressure decreases. This lower air pressure causes the boiling point to decrease as well. This is because at higher altitudes, there is less air above the liquid, so there is less pressure pushing down on the liquid. As a result, the liquid requires less energy to turn into a gas and thus has a lower boiling point.

3. Can pressure affect the boiling point of all substances?

No, pressure only affects the boiling point of substances that exist as liquids at standard atmospheric pressure. Substances that are already gases at standard atmospheric pressure, such as helium or oxygen, do not have a boiling point as they do not need to overcome intermolecular forces to turn into a gas.

4. What is the relationship between pressure and boiling point in a closed system?

In a closed system, an increase in pressure will cause the boiling point to increase as well. This is because the pressure is contained within the system, so there is no escape for the gas molecules. As a result, the liquid requires more energy to turn into a gas and thus has a higher boiling point.

5. Is there a limit to how much pressure can affect the boiling point?

Yes, there is a limit to how much pressure can affect the boiling point. At a certain point, the pressure becomes so high that the intermolecular forces between the liquid molecules are completely overcome, and the liquid turns into a solid instead of a gas. This is known as the critical point and is different for each substance.

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