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Collection of gases over water

A simple way to collect gases that do not react with water is to capture them in a bottle that has been filled with water and inverted into a dish filled with water. The pressure of the gas inside the bottle can be made equal to the air pressure outside by raising or lowering the bottle. When the water level is the same both inside and outside the bottle ( [link] ), the pressure of the gas is equal to the atmospheric pressure, which can be measured with a barometer.

This figure shows a diagram of equipment used for collecting a gas over water. To the left is an Erlenmeyer flask. It is approximately two thirds full of a lavender colored liquid. Bubbles are evident in the liquid. The label “Reaction Producing Gas” appears below the flask. A line segment connects this label to the liquid in the flask. The flask has a stopper in it through which a single glass tube extends from the open region above the liquid in the flask up, through the stopper, to the right, then angles down into a pan that is nearly full of light blue water. This tube again extends right once it is well beneath the water’s surface. It then bends up into an inverted flask which is labeled “Collection Flask.” This collection flask is positioned with its mouth beneath the surface of the light blue water and appears approximately half full. Bubbles are evident in the water in the inverted flask. The open space above the water in the inverted flask is labeled “collected gas.”
When a reaction produces a gas that is collected above water, the trapped gas is a mixture of the gas produced by the reaction and water vapor. If the collection flask is appropriately positioned to equalize the water levels both within and outside the flask, the pressure of the trapped gas mixture will equal the atmospheric pressure outside the flask (see the earlier discussion of manometers).

However, there is another factor we must consider when we measure the pressure of the gas by this method. Water evaporates and there is always gaseous water (water vapor) above a sample of liquid water. As a gas is collected over water, it becomes saturated with water vapor and the total pressure of the mixture equals the partial pressure of the gas plus the partial pressure of the water vapor. The pressure of the pure gas is therefore equal to the total pressure minus the pressure of the water vapor—this is referred to as the “dry” gas pressure, that is, the pressure of the gas only, without water vapor. The vapor pressure of water    , which is the pressure exerted by water vapor in equilibrium with liquid water in a closed container, depends on the temperature ( [link] ); more detailed information on the temperature dependence of water vapor can be found in [link] , and vapor pressure will be discussed in more detail in the next chapter on liquids.

A graph is shown. The horizontal axis is labeled “Temperature ( degrees C )” with markings and labels provided for multiples of 20 beginning at 0 and ending at 100. The vertical axis is labeled “Vapor pressure ( torr )” with marking and labels provided for multiples of 200, beginning at 0 and ending at 800. A smooth solid black curve extends from the origin up and to the right across the graph. The graph shows a positive trend with an increasing rate of change. On the vertical axis is ( 7 60) and an arrow pointing to it. The arrow is labeled, “Vapor pressure at ( 100 degrees C ).”
This graph shows the vapor pressure of water at sea level as a function of temperature.
Vapor Pressure of Ice and Water in Various Temperatures at Sea Level
Temperature (°C) Pressure (torr) Temperature (°C) Pressure (torr) Temperature (°C) Pressure (torr)
–10 1.95 18 15.5 30 31.8
–5 3.0 19 16.5 35 42.2
–2 3.9 20 17.5 40 55.3
0 4.6 21 18.7 50 92.5
2 5.3 22 19.8 60 149.4
4 6.1 23 21.1 70 233.7
6 7.0 24 22.4 80 355.1
8 8.0 25 23.8 90 525.8
10 9.2 26 25.2 95 633.9
12 10.5 27 26.7 99 733.2
14 12.0 28 28.3 100.0 760.0
16 13.6 29 30.0 101.0 787.6

Pressure of a gas collected over water

If 0.200 L of argon is collected over water at a temperature of 26 °C and a pressure of 750 torr in a system like that shown in [link] , what is the partial pressure of argon?

Solution

According to Dalton’s law, the total pressure in the bottle (750 torr) is the sum of the partial pressure of argon and the partial pressure of gaseous water:

P T = P Ar + P H 2 O

Rearranging this equation to solve for the pressure of argon gives:

P Ar = P T P H 2 O

The pressure of water vapor above a sample of liquid water at 26 °C is 25.2 torr ( Appendix E ), so:

P Ar = 750 torr 25.2 torr = 725 torr

Check your learning

A sample of oxygen collected over water at a temperature of 29.0 °C and a pressure of 764 torr has a volume of 0.560 L. What volume would the dry oxygen have under the same conditions of temperature and pressure?

Answer:

0.583 L

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Source:  OpenStax, Chemistry. OpenStax CNX. May 20, 2015 Download for free at http://legacy.cnx.org/content/col11760/1.9
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