During the mixing of ethanol and water you should have observed the formation of
ID: 978798 • Letter: D
Question
During the mixing of ethanol and water you should have observed the formation of tiny bubbles. These bubbles are O2,
N2, and some CO2 gas that are dissolved in the ethanol and water prior to mixing. One possibility of why the gas is
released upon mixing is the observed change in temperature. Gasses tend to be less soluble in warmer liquids. However,
this is not the primary reason. Give another more likely reason why the mixed solution would release some of the
dissolved gases. Hint: think volume change and average intermolecular distance.
back ground info: volume decreased and the mixture was exothermic
Explanation / Answer
If we consider the solution of gasses in any liquid the gas molecules occupy the intermolecular gaps of the solvent molecules. Now, when ethanol is mixed with water the molecules of these components form strong hydrogen bonding between themselves. Due, to these strong cohessive force the intermolecular distance drops down and as a consequence the gas molecules trapped in these gaps are released.
Again the release of the gas molecules is entropically favorable as the entropy of the system increases during this process. As the recation is exothermic in nature the tempearture of the system increases during mixing. So, the entropy factor predominates and the gas molecules are released.
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