Question
Physics Question on Dimensional analysis and its applications
One mole of an ideal gas at standard temperature and pressure occupies 22.4 L (molar volume). What is the ratio of molar volume to the atomic volume of a mole of hydrogen ? (Take the size of hydrogen molecule to be about 1 A˚ ). Why is this ratio so large ?
Radius of hydrogen atom, r = 0.5 A˚ = 0.5 × 10−10 m
Volume of hydrogen atom = 34πr3
= 34×722×(0.5×10−10)3
= 0.524×10−30m3
Now, 1 mole of hydrogen contains 6.023×1023 hydrogen atoms.
∴ Volume of 1 mole of hydrogen atoms, Va = 6.023×1023 × 0.524×10−30
= 3.16×10−7m3
Molar volume of 1 mole of hydrogen atoms at STP,
Vm = 22.4 L = 22.4×10−3m3
∴VnVm = 3.16×10−722.4×10−3 = 7.08×104
Hence, the molar volume is 7.08×104 times higher than the atomic volume. For this reason, the inter-atomic separation in hydrogen gas is much larger than the size of a hydrogen atom.