In scuba diving, air is supplied at a pressure higher than 1 atm, so that the pr

Question

In scuba diving, air is supplied at a pressure higher than 1 atm, so that the pressure within the diver’s chest matches the pressure exerted by the surrounding water. One consequence of breathing air at high pressures is that nitrogen is much more soluble in fatty tissues than in water, so it tends to dissolve in the central nervous system, bone marrow, and fat reserves. The result is nitrogen narcosis. The Henry’s law constant in the form c = Kp for the solubility of nitrogen is 18 g/(g H2O atm). What mass of nitrogen is dissolved in 100 g of water saturated with air at 4.0 atm and 20°C? Compare your answer to that for 100 g of water saturated with air at 1.0 atm. (Air is 78.08 mole percent N2.)

Explanation / Answer

18 g nitrogent is dissolved in 1 g of water at 1 atm

so 1800g nitrogent is dissolved in 100 g of water at 1 atm

=> 1800*4 = 7200g nitrogent is dissolved in 100 g of water at 4 atm

So mass of nitrogen is dissolved in 100 g of water saturated with air at 4.0 atm and 20°C = 7.2*10-3 g

So at 4 atm pressure, the water will contain 4 times the amount of nitrogen compared tp that at 1 atm.

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