Question

How much faster do ammonia (NH3) molecules effuse than carbon monoxide (CO) molecules? Enter the ratio of the rates of effusion. Express your answer numerically using three significant figures.

Answer 1

Ammonia molecules effuse 1.28 times faster than carbon monoxide molecules.

The ratio is:-
`\frac {r_(NH_3)}{r_(CO)}=1.28`

Step-by-step explanation:

Scottish physicist Thomas Graham formulated a law known as Graham's law of effusion in 1848. He conducted an experiment and found the relationship between the rate of effusion of a gas and its molar mass as:

`r=\sqrt {\frac {1}{M}}`

where,

r is the rate of effusion of a gas

M is the molar mass of the gas.

And for two gases taking different rate of effusion as r₁ and r₂ to effuse, the formula is:

`\frac {r_1}{r_2}=\sqrt {\frac {M_2}{M_1}}`

So,

For ammonia :

`M_1` = 17.031 g/mol

For carbon monoxide:

`M_2` = 28.01 g/mol

Thus,

`\frac {r_(NH_3)}{r_(CO)}=\sqrt{(28.01)/(17.031)}`

`\frac {r_(NH_3)}{r_(CO)}=1.28`

Or,

`{r_(NH_3)}=1.28* {r_(CO)}`

Ammonia molecules effuse 1.28 times faster than carbon monoxide molecules.