2 L of an ideal gas at a pressure of 10 atm expands isothermally into ...
2 L of an ideal gas at a pressure of 10 atm expands isothermally into ...
Given information:
Initial volume (V1) = 2 L
Initial pressure (P1) = 10 atm
Final volume (V2) = 10 L
Final pressure (P2) = 0 atm (vacuum)
The process is isothermal, which means the temperature remains constant during the expansion.
To calculate the work done in the expansion, we can use the formula:
Work done (W) = -nRT ln(V2/V1)
where:
n = number of moles of gas
R = ideal gas constant
T = temperature in Kelvin
First, we need to find the number of moles of gas using the ideal gas equation:
PV = nRT
Rearranging the equation, we have:
n = PV/RT
Since the temperature remains constant, we can use the initial temperature (T1) to calculate the number of moles.
Next, we can substitute the values into the work done formula:
W = -nRT ln(V2/V1)
Let's calculate step by step:
1. Calculate the number of moles:
n = (P1 * V1) / (R * T1)
2. Calculate the work done:
W = -nRT ln(V2/V1)
Substituting the values:
W = -[(P1 * V1) / (R * T1)] * R * T1 * ln(V2/V1)
= -P1 * V1 ln(V2/V1)
Now, let's plug in the given values:
W = -10 atm * 2 L ln(10 L/2 L)
= -10 atm * 2 L ln(5)
= -10 atm * 2 L * 1.6094
= -32.188 L-atm
Since work is a form of energy, it cannot have a negative value. Therefore, we take the magnitude of the work done:
|W| = 32.188 L-atm
So, the correct answer is option 'A': 8 L-atm.