Commercial scuba divers use tanks filled with a mixture of gases known as Trimix on very long, deep dives. Trimix is composed of 70% nitrogen, 10% oxygen and 20% helium. The total pressure of the Trimix inside a certain tank at the beginning of the dive is 118.4 atm. A. What is the partial pressure of the oxygen in the tank?

The partial pressure of oxygen in the tank is required.

The partial pressure of the oxygen in the tank is 11.84 atm.

= The mole fraction of oxygen = 10%

= The total partial pressure in the tank = 118.4 atm

The mole fraction of a gas is equal to the ratio of partial pressure of the gas to the total partial pressure.

The partial pressure of the oxygen in the tank is 11.84 atm.

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Partial pressure of O = 11.84 atm

Explanation:

To solve the excersise we think in the partial pressure law with mole fraction.

Mole fraction of gas = Partial pressure of gas / Total pressure

We have data of all the mole fractions:

Let's find out the partial pressure of oxygen in the tank. We replace data in the formula:

0.10 = Partial pressure of gas / 118.4 atm

0.10 . 118.4 atm = Partial pressure of gas → 11.84 atm

If we determine all the partial pressures:

0.70 . 118.4 atm = 82.88 atm → Partial pressure N

0.20 . 118.4 atm = 23.68 atm → Partial pressure He

We can determine the partial pressure of the trimix.

Sum of partial pressures of each gas = Total pressure of the mix

11.84 atm + 82.88 atm + 23.68 atm = 118.4 atm

(A way to see, if our operations were ok)

chemical properties are the characteristic of matter which can only be observed by changing the chemical identity of a sample like flammability reactivity and toxicity.