Discussion Overview
The discussion revolves around the relationship between vapor pressure and air pressure in a sealed vessel containing water. Participants explore how these pressures interact when the water is heated, particularly at room temperature and at 100°C, and whether they combine to yield a total pressure in the system.
Discussion Character
- Technical explanation
- Conceptual clarification
- Debate/contested
Main Points Raised
- James questions whether the vapor pressure should be combined with the air pressure to determine the total pressure in a sealed test tube containing water.
- James proposes that at room temperature, the pressure inside the sealed test tube would be 1 bar and wonders if heating the water to 100°C would result in a total pressure of around 2 bar due to the addition of vapor pressure.
- UltrafastPed references Dalton's Law of Partial Pressures, suggesting that the partial pressures of air and water vapor combine to give a total pressure.
- James asks if deviations from Dalton's Law at high pressures would significantly affect the total pressure calculation when considering air and water vapor pressures.
- Another participant confirms that the partial pressure of air would be slightly less than 1 bar when the test tube is sealed due to the equilibrium vapor pressure of water at the given temperature.
- It is noted that the total pressure would be greater than 2 bar when the air pressure increases upon heating the test tube.
- There is a disagreement regarding whether the total pressure could be closer to 1 bar due to the air pressure affecting the vaporization of water at the given temperature, with a participant asserting that this is not the case.
Areas of Agreement / Disagreement
Participants express differing views on the interaction between vapor pressure and air pressure, particularly regarding the total pressure in the system. While some agree on the application of Dalton's Law, there is no consensus on the implications of air pressure on vaporization and total pressure calculations.
Contextual Notes
Participants acknowledge that real gases may deviate from Dalton's Law, particularly at higher pressures, but the extent of this deviation in the context of the discussion remains unresolved.