Question

(a)- What does the diffusion of gases tell us about their particles?
(b)- Give one example of diffusion of gases in liquid?

Answer 1

When any type of atoms, molecules, ions pass from a region of higher concentration to the region of lower concentration, the process is known as Diffusion. Diffusion can occur in both liquids and gases but the diffusion in gases is faster than the diffusion in liquids.

Complete Solution :
(a)- When two substances having different concentrations are kept together, then there is the movement of molecules from one substance to the other. This movement is based on the chemical potential of the substance which can be easily calculated by the concentration of the substance. When any type of atom, molecules, ion passes from a region of higher concentration to the region of lower concentration, the process is known as Diffusion.
- Diffusion can occur in both liquids and gases but the diffusion in gases is faster than the diffusion in liquids. This is due to the fact that in gases the particles are very small and the space between the particles and the incoming particles can spread easily. We can calculate the rate of diffusion by the formula given below:
$\text{Rate of diffusion = }\dfrac{\text{Amount of gas passing through an area}}{\text{Unit of time}}$

(b)- The most common example of diffusion of gases in a liquid that is occurring in our body is respiration. Oxygen is a gas and the blood is a liquid, so during respiration, the oxygen gets dissolved in the blood.

Note: The process of diffusion is not possible in solids because the particles in the solids are very close to each other and can only vibrate at their mean position but cannot move from their position.