The mole fraction of nitrous oxide in dry air near sea level is 0.00000050.The concentration of nitrous oxide is ________ molecules per liter,assuming an atmospheric pressure of 739 torr and a temperature of 29.5 °C.

Question

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To find the concentration of nitrous oxide molecules per liter, we can use the ideal gas law equation in the form of $PV = nRT$, where $P$ is the pressure, $V$ is the volume, $n$ is the number of moles, $R$ is the ideal gas constant, and $T$ is the temperature in Kelvin. Given the mole fraction of nitrous oxide and the conditions (739 torr and 29.5 °C), we can calculate the number of moles of nitrous oxide in a liter of air and then convert that to molecules using Avogadro's number. The correct calculation leads to a concentration of $1.2 \times 10^{16}$ molecules per liter, taking into account the conversion of temperature to Kelvin, pressure to atmospheres, and using the mole fraction correctly.

The Mole Fraction of Nitrous Oxide in Dry Air near Sea