Question about Ideal gas law and its application

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SUMMARY

The discussion centers on estimating the partial pressure of nitrogen in a room using the ideal gas law, specifically the equation PV = nRT. The user attempts to calculate the partial pressure by considering the composition of air (80% nitrogen, 20% oxygen) and the room temperature of 21 degrees Celsius (294.15 K). Key constants include the gas constant for air (0.2870 kJ/kg*K) and the need for total pressure data to accurately determine the partial pressure of nitrogen, which is calculated as 0.80 times the total atmospheric pressure.

PREREQUISITES
  • Understanding of the ideal gas law (PV = nRT)
  • Knowledge of gas constants for different gases (e.g., R for air, nitrogen, and oxygen)
  • Ability to convert temperature from Celsius to Kelvin
  • Familiarity with the concept of partial pressures in gas mixtures
NEXT STEPS
  • Research how to calculate total atmospheric pressure using local weather data
  • Learn about the concept of partial pressures and Dalton's Law of Partial Pressures
  • Explore the implications of the ideal gas law in real-world applications
  • Investigate the differences between ideal and real gas behavior
USEFUL FOR

Students studying chemistry or physics, educators teaching gas laws, and anyone interested in atmospheric science or gas behavior in various conditions.

A330NEO
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Homework Statement


Estimate partial pressure of nitrogen in atm in a room where you are at this moment. Use an ideal gas approximation and assume that air is composed of only nitrogen and oxygen. Show how you arrive the final answer in detail.

Homework Equations


pv=RT, while p stands for pressure, v stands for specific volume(m^3/kg), T stands for temperature(K) and R stands for gas constant(kJ/Kg*K). R for Air is 0.2870, Nitrogen it is 0.2968, and for oxygen it's 0.2598.

The Attempt at a Solution



First of all, by volume, air is 80% nitrogen and 20% oxygen. This information is considered essential to find out what is the partial temperature of nitrogen is.
My room's temperature is 21 degrees celsius, so Kelvin temperature is about 294.15K. So, in the equation pv=RT, RT = 0.2870*294.15 = 84.42105. I wanted to find out what is specific volume of air as ideal gas so that I can find out what the pressure is, but I wasn't able to. I made several attempts, but I wasn't able to go further. [/B]
 
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A330NEO said:

Homework Statement


Estimate partial pressure of nitrogen in atm in a room where you are at this moment. Use an ideal gas approximation and assume that air is composed of only nitrogen and oxygen. Show how you arrive the final answer in detail.

Homework Equations


pv=RT, while p stands for pressure, v stands for specific volume(m^3/kg), T stands for temperature(K) and R stands for gas constant(kJ/Kg*K). R for Air is 0.2870, Nitrogen it is 0.2968, and for oxygen it's 0.2598.

The Attempt at a Solution



First of all, by volume, air is 80% nitrogen and 20% oxygen. This information is considered essential to find out what is the partial temperature of nitrogen is.
My room's temperature is 21 degrees celsius, so Kelvin temperature is about 294.15K. So, in the equation pv=RT, RT = 0.2870*294.15 = 84.42105. I wanted to find out what is specific volume of air as ideal gas so that I can find out what the pressure is, but I wasn't able to. I made several attempts, but I wasn't able to go further. [/B]

There are many points above which indicate that you are confused about many things.

(1) Ideal gas law -- assumes that all gases show the same ideal behavior. Equation of state : PV = nRT (R = 8.314 J/K-mole) -- assumes P, V are in SI (Pa, m^3) R is independent of gas.

(2) Partial pressures are useful in discussing amounts (moles) of gas: If, V, T are constant, then P ∝ n. If air is 80% Nitrogen, then p_N2 = 0.80 P_total. You need to know what the total pressure of the room you are in. You can google the weather to see what the barometric pressure is in your area, and take 80% of that (or use a number for composition with better precision) to determine the partial pressure of N2.
 

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