Universal Gas Equation problem

In summary: The gas cylinder at a pressure of 16500 kPa, meanwhile, is a reasonable number. Looks like the problem is with the units.
  • #1
relatively-uncertain
17
2
Hi everyone, I'd really appreciate any help with this problem:

A helium cylinder for the inflation of party balloons hold s 25.0L of gas and is filled to a pressure of 16500kPa at 15 degrees celsius. How many balloons can be inflated from a single cylinder at 30 degrees celsius if the volume of one balloon is 6.5L and each needs to be inflated to a pressure of 10^8 kPa?


I know I'm supposed to be using the PV=nRT equation, but I have no idea as to how to approach this! Would really appreciate if anyone could offer me any help!
Thanks so much!
 
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  • #2
From your equation, now many moles of helium are contained in the cylinder? How many moles of helium are contained in each balloon?
 
  • #3
Chestermiller said:
From your equation, now many moles of helium are contained in the cylinder? How many moles of helium are contained in each balloon?

From PV=nRT , n= 172.36 mol

And for the balloon:
6.5 • 10^8= n•8.31•303
and n= 2.58x10^5 mol

Would this be the right steps to take?
Thanks!
 
  • #4
relatively-uncertain said:
From PV=nRT , n= 172.36 mol

And for the balloon:
6.5 • 10^8= n•8.31•303
and n= 2.58x10^5 mol

Would this be the right steps to take?
Thanks!
Does it make sense to you that a balloon would have more moles than the gas cylinder?
 
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  • #5
Chestermiller said:
Does it make sense to you that a balloon would have more moles than the gas cylinder?
I think the OP has a typo=each balloon should be inflated to ## P=108 ## kPa. ## \\ ## That would make sense, because normally a balloon gets inflated to a pressure just slightly greater than atmospheric pressure which is ## P=101 ## kPa . ## \\ ## A pressure of P=10^8 kPa would be out of the question. (A google shows they estimate the pressure at the center of the Earth to be about ## 3.6 \, \cdot ## 10^8 kPa. ).
 
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  • #6
Chestermiller said:
Does it make sense to you that a balloon would have more moles than the gas cylinder?

I don't think so :/ But I am unsure of how to use any other figures in the equation ie. what to do with the data given in this question. What should I be doing instead that will give me the right number of mols in each ?
Thanks
 
  • #7
Charles Link said:
I think the OP has a typo=each balloon should be inflated to ## P=108 ## kPa. ## \\ ## That would make sense, because normally a balloon gets inflated to a pressure just slightly greater than atmospheric pressure which is ## P=101 ## kPa . ## \\ ## A pressure of P=10^8 kPa would be out of the question. (A google shows they estimate the pressure at the center of the Earth to be about ## 3.6 \, \cdot ## 10^8 kPa. ).

I have just checked the question again and am sure that it is 10^8kPa. It does seem more reasonable to be 108 though.
 
  • #8
relatively-uncertain said:
I have just checked the question again and am sure that it is 10^8kPa. It does seem more reasonable to be 108 though.
It is clearly a misprint then. With that correction, the problem will give a very reasonable result. ## \\ ## The gas cylinder at a pressure of 16500 kPa, meanwhile, is a reasonable number. That's somewhere between 2000 and 2500 lbs. of pressure (per square inch), and is commercially available with those numbers.
 
  • #9
The first step in getting the answer right is to get the units correct and to do the arithmetic correctly. Let's see the details of your calculation for the number of moles of gas in the cylinder. Your present answer is woefully low.
 
  • #10
Chestermiller said:
The first step in getting the answer right is to get the units correct and to do the arithmetic correctly. Let's see the details of your calculation for the number of moles of gas in the cylinder. Your present answer is woefully low.
@Chestermiller The answer of ## n=172 ## moles of gas in the cylinder is approximately what I computed with a quick hand calculation. The OP needs to show his work though. Looks like he is using ## R=8.31 ## L kPa /(mole-K) , so that he doesn't need to convert any units other than the temperature, which he did correctly.
 
  • #11
Chestermiller said:
The first step in getting the answer right is to get the units correct and to do the arithmetic correctly. Let's see the details of your calculation for the number of moles of gas in the cylinder. Your present answer is woefully low.

I have calculated it from:

16,500 • 25.0= n•8.31•288
And n = 172.36

Thanks
 
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  • #12
relatively-uncertain said:
I have calculated it from:

16,500 • 25.0= n•8.31•288
And n = 172.36

Thanks
Looks OK.
 
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  • #13
Chestermiller said:
Looks OK.

Using 108 kPa, and the equations above I have got an answer of 588 , but I am not sure it is right

Here is my working:

1. Calculated the mol of helium in cylinder at 30 degrees celsius
PV=nRT
n= (16500•25) / (8.31•303)
=163.83 mol

2. Mol of helium in balloons
n=(108•6.5)/(8.31 • 303)
n=0.2788 mol

3. Divide 163.83/0.2788
= 588
 
  • #14
relatively-uncertain said:
Using 108 kPa, and the equations above I have got an answer of 588 , but I am not sure it is right

Here is my working:

1. Calculated the mol of helium in cylinder at 30 degrees celsius
PV=nRT
n= (16500•25) / (8.31•303)
=163.83 mol

2. Mol of helium in balloons
n=(108•6.5)/(8.31 • 303)
n=0.2788 mol

3. Divide 163.83/0.2788
= 588
The moles of helium in the cylinder is calculated at 15 degrees Celsius=288 K, and n=172 is correct for that. That number doesn't change. Otherwise, this looks correct.
 
  • #15
Okay - thankyou! So it would be:

127.36/ 0.2788 = 456.8
=457 balloons

I have checked the answer and it is 618. If my working out seems okay, would the answers be incorrect? (Considering that the 10^8kPa is most likely a misprint?)
Thankyou!
 
  • #16
relatively-uncertain said:
Okay - thankyou! So it would be:

127.36/ 0.2788 = 456.8
=457 balloons

I have checked the answer and it is 618. If my working out seems okay, would the answers be incorrect? (Considering that the 10^8kPa is most likely a misprint?)
Thankyou!
172.36/.2788=618. You typed it in wrong.
 
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  • #17
Charles Link said:
172.36/.2788=618. You typed it in wrong.

Oohhh! Thank you so much ! I really appreciate the help!
 
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1. What is the Universal Gas Equation?

The Universal Gas Equation, also known as the Ideal Gas Law, is a mathematical equation that describes the relationship between the pressure, volume, temperature, and amount of a gas. It states that the product of pressure and volume is directly proportional to the product of temperature and amount of gas, assuming constant values for the other variables.

2. What is the formula for the Universal Gas Equation?

The formula for the Universal Gas Equation is PV = nRT, where P represents pressure, V represents volume, n represents the number of moles of gas, R is the universal gas constant, and T represents temperature in Kelvin.

3. How do you solve a Universal Gas Equation problem?

To solve a Universal Gas Equation problem, you must first determine which variables are given and which are unknown. Then, you can rearrange the formula PV = nRT to solve for the unknown variable. Finally, plug in the given values and solve for the unknown variable using basic algebra.

4. What are the units for the Universal Gas Equation?

The units for the Universal Gas Equation depend on the units used for each variable. Pressure is typically measured in atmospheres (atm), volume in liters (L), temperature in Kelvin (K), and amount of gas in moles (mol). The universal gas constant, R, has a value of 0.0821 L·atm/mol·K and its units can vary depending on the units used for the other variables in the equation.

5. When is the Universal Gas Equation most commonly used?

The Universal Gas Equation is most commonly used in thermodynamics and chemistry, particularly in gas law problems involving gases at standard temperature and pressure (STP). It is also used in industries such as engineering and manufacturing to calculate the behavior of gases in various conditions.

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