A tank containing #"He"#, #"Ar"#, and #"Xe"# has a total pressure equal to #"3.00 atm"#. The individual pressures are #"0.450 atm He"#, and #"0.350 atm Ar"#. What is the pressure of #"Xe"#?

1 Answer
Dec 1, 2014

The partial pressure of #"Xe"# is #"2.20 atm"#.

Explanation:

The sum of the partial pressures is equal to the total pressure. #"P"_"total"# = #"P"_1# + #"P"_2# + #"P"_3#... .To calculate the partial pressure of one of the components of a mixture, subtract the sum of known partial pressures of the other components from the total pressure.

Given/Known:

#"P"_"He" = "0.450 atm"#

#"P"_"Ar" = "0.350 atm"#

#"P"_"total" = "3.00 atm"#

Unknown:

#"P"_"Xe"#

Solution: Determine the sum of the partial pressures of helium and argon, then subtract the sum from the total pressure.

#P_"He" + P_"Ar"="0.450 atm + 0.350"="0.800 atm"#

#P_"Xe"="3.00atm" - "0.800" = "2.20 atm"#