PHYSICAL CHEMISTRY 1: PROBLEM SET 2

TOPICS:
INTRODUCTION TO THERMODYNAMICS
FIRST LAW OF THERMODYNAMICS

1. A chemical reaction takes place in a container of cross-sectional area 50cm2. As a result of the reaction, a piston
is pushed out through 15cm against an external pressure of of 121 kPa. Calculate the work done by the system.

2. A sample consisting of 2.00 mol He is expanded isothermally at 22oC from 22.8L to 31.7L
(a) reversibly,
(b) against a constant external pressure equal to the final pressure of the gas, and
(c) freely (against zero external pressure).

For the three processes calculate q, w, and ∆𝑈.

3. A sample consisting of 2.00 mol of a perfect gas, initially at P1=111kPa and T1=277 K, is heated reversibly to 356
K at constant volume. Calculate the final pressure, ∆𝑈, Q, and W

4. A sample of argon of mass 6.56 g occupies 18.5L at 305 K.

(a) Calculate the work done when the gas expands isothermally against a constant external pressure of
7.7kPa until its volume has increased by 2.5 L.
(b) Calculate the work that would be done if the expansion occurred reversibly.

5. A strip of magnesium of mass 15 g is dropped into a beaker of dilute hydrochloric acid. Calculate the work done
by the system as a result of the reaction. The atmospheric pressure is 1.1 atm and the temperature 25oC.

6. Calculate the heat needed to raise the temperature of the air in the house from 20oC to 25oC. Assume that the
house contains 600 m3 of air, which should be taken to be perfect diatomic gas. The density of air is 1.21 kg m-3
at 20oC. Calculate ∆𝑈 for the heating of the air

7. A solution containing 10% of NaCl by weight has a density of 1.071 g/cc. Calculate the molarity and molality of
NaCl in the solution.

8. A piston whose area is 60 cm2 moves through a distance of 20cm against a pressure of 3atm. Calculate the work
done in (a) Joules and (b) Calories

9. A gas expanding against a constant pressure of 2 atm from 10 to 20 Liters absorbs 300 cal of heat. What is the
change in internal energy of the gas?

10. Assuming CO2 to be an ideal gas, calculate the work done by 10g of CO2 in expanding isothermally and reversibly
from a volume of 5Liters to 10 Liters at 27oC. What are Q and ∆𝑈 for the process?