A mixture of He and Ne at a total pressure of 0.95 atm is found to contain 0.32 mol of He and 0.56 mol of Ne. The partial pressure of Ne is atm.
A) 1.5
B) 1.7
C) 0.60
D) 0.35
E) 1.0

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The partial pressure of a gas in a mixture is directly proportional to its mole fraction, which is the ratio of moles of that gas to the total moles of all gases in the mixture.

The total moles of gas in the mixture is:

0.32 mol He + 0.56 mol Ne = 0.88 mol total

The mole fraction of Ne is:

0.56 mol Ne / 0.88 mol total = 0.64

Therefore, the partial pressure of Ne is:

0.64 x 0.95 atm = 0.61 atm, which is closest to choice C (0.60 atm).

A Mixture of He and Ne at a Total Pressure