Calculating Partial Pressure of Ammonia in a Gas Mixture

What is the partial pressure of ammonia in a mixture of nitrogen, hydrogen, and ammonia?

A scientist is examining a mixture of nitrogen and hydrogen with individual pressures of 0.26 atm and 0.28 atm, respectively. Given that the total pressure is 0.90 atm, what is the partial pressure of ammonia?

Answer:

The partial pressure of ammonia in the given mixture can be calculated using Dalton's law of partial pressures. By subtracting the sum of the partial pressures of nitrogen and hydrogen from the total pressure, we find that the partial pressure of ammonia is 0.36 atm.

In this scenario, we are dealing with a gas mixture containing nitrogen, hydrogen, and ammonia. The key concept to apply here is Dalton’s law of partial pressures.

Dalton's law of partial pressures states that in a mixture of non-reacting gases, the total pressure exerted is equal to the sum of the partial pressures of the individual gases in the mixture.

To find the partial pressure of ammonia in the given mixture, we can use the formula:

P_T = P₁ + P₂ + P₃

Where:

• P_T is the total pressure of the mixture (0.90 atm).
• P₁ is the partial pressure of nitrogen (0.26 atm).
• P₂ is the partial pressure of hydrogen (0.28 atm).

Using the formula, we can calculate the partial pressure of ammonia as follows:

Partial pressure of ammonia = Total pressure - (Partial pressure of nitrogen + Partial pressure of hydrogen)

Partial pressure of ammonia = 0.90 atm - (0.26 atm + 0.28 atm) = 0.36 atm

Therefore, the partial pressure of ammonia in the gas mixture is 0.36 atm.