Name: _______________________________________ Class: _______ Date: _____________________

Graham’s Law Practice Problems

The equation we use for Graham’s Law is…

Use this equation to solve for the following problems. Show all work to receive full credit. Don’t forget
about sig figs and units!

1. A certain gas effuses 4 times as fast as oxygen gas. What is the molar mass of the unknown gas?
Oxygen is diatomic (O2) and its molar mass is 32.0 g/mol.

“Certain Gas” = fast/light and Oxygen = slow/heavy

Set rate expression equal to molar mass expression

4 √32
2.0 /
1 √

2. A compound effuses through a porous cylinder 3.20 times faster than helium. What is its molar
mass?
Helium = fast/light and “Compound” = slow/heavy

Set rate expression equal to molar mass expression

3.20 √4.0
0.39 /
1 √

**Note: To my knowledge, there is NO gas with a molar mass less than that of hydrogen (H2 =
2.0 g/mol), but this is the correct answer given the problem! We took some creative license and
chose a gas you would not expect! 
3. If 0.00251 mol of NH3 effuse through a hole in 2.47 min, how much HCl would effuse in the
same time?

A rate can be expressed as distance over time but in the case of reactions, it can be measured as
amount over time.

NH3 = fast/light and HCl = slow/heavy

Set distance expression equal to the molar mass expression as we know the formulas (and
therefore the masses also)

0.00251 √36.5
0.00171
√17.0

4. A sample of N2 effuses through a hole in 38 seconds. What must be the molecular weight of gas
that effuses in 55 seconds under identical conditions?

Nitrogen = fast/light and “Gas” = slow/heavy

Set time expression equal to the molar mass expression

55 √
58.65 /
38 √28

5. At a certain temperature, molecules of methane gas, CH4, have an average velocity of 0.098
meters per second (m/s). What is the average velocity of carbon dioxide, CO2 molecules at this
same temperature?

CH4 = fast/light and CO2 = slow/heavy

Set rate expression equal to the molar mass expression

0.098 √44.0
0.0590 /
√16.0