How does non-ideal behavior of a vapor affect the calculated molecular mass?

[disneychannel]

If the vapor of a liquid is NOT really ideal, how would this affect the calculated molecular mass?

 

[Ygggdrasil]

The answer would depend on how you are calculating the molecular mass.

 

[quicknote]

Water vapor's molecular mass is approximately 18 g/mol. However, if the vapor of a liquid is not ideal, this could affect the calculated molecular mass in a few ways.

Firstly, an ideal gas assumes that the molecules are point masses with no volume. In reality, molecules do have volume and may interact with each other, especially in a liquid state. This could lead to deviations from the ideal gas law, which is used to calculate molecular mass.

In addition, if the vapor is not at standard temperature and pressure, the calculated molecular mass may be different. The ideal gas law assumes a constant temperature and pressure, but in a non-ideal situation, these factors may vary and affect the calculation.

Furthermore, the presence of impurities or other molecules in the vapor could also affect the calculated molecular mass. These impurities may have a different molecular mass and could skew the overall calculation.

Overall, the non-ideal behavior of a vapor could lead to deviations from the expected molecular mass. It is important for scientists to take into account these factors and use appropriate equations and corrections when calculating molecular mass in non-ideal situations.