Gas Mixture: Calculating Mole Fraction of CH4

What is the mole fraction of CH4 in a gas mixture with partial pressures of CO2 and CH4?

A gas mixture contains only CO2 with a partial pressure of 438 torr and CH4 with a partial pressure of 155 torr.

Answer:

The mole fraction of CH4 in a gas mixture, where CH4 has a partial pressure of 155 torr and CO2 has a partial pressure of 438 torr, is 0.261, or 26.1%.

When calculating the mole fraction of a component in a gas mixture, we use the formula:

Mole Fraction (X) = Partial Pressure of Component / Total Pressure of Mixture

In this case, the partial pressure of CH4 is 155 torr and the partial pressure of CO2 is 438 torr. By adding these partial pressures together, we get a total pressure of 593 torr.

Now, we can calculate the mole fraction of CH4 by dividing its partial pressure by the total pressure:

X_CH4 = 155 torr / 593 torr = 0.261

Therefore, the mole fraction of CH4 in the gas mixture is 0.261, which is equivalent to 26.1%.

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