Vapour in air diffusion – Determination

of diffusion coefficient
Agenda
• Introduction – Description of system
• Theory – How to analyse diffusion of A through non-diffusing B
• Equipment & Procedure
• Questions to think about
 • What is happening?
• Air (Gas is passed over a volatile liquid

• Gas is not soluble in

Introduction • diffuses from the liquid surface to a gaseous mixture of

• The drop in the level of liquid , as a function of time, depends on the binary diffusion coefficient .

• can be obtained by measuring the change in liquid levels

Gas
Introduction

• Non-equimolar counter diffusion

• A case of diffusion of through non-diffusing

• Uses and advantages

• Simple but efficient setup to measure diffusion
coefficients
• Vice-versa, if diffusion coefficient is known, vapour
pressure of volatile liquids can be determined
Theory – What is going on at the gas-liquid
interface?

• At the interface, Vapour pressure of liquid

• Gas is flowing continuously and sweeps Gas away 

• driving force for diffusion

• Molar flux, gives the moles of diffusing through

• See manual for expression of

• Also, from mass balance,

 Equipment and procedure

Summary of procedure
• A – CCl4, Acetone, ethanol • Start with an initial level of at some fixed
• B – Air
• Initiate flow of at some known rate

• Measure the liquid level at regular intervals of time

• Determine from given expressions

Questions to think about

• How does temperature affect ?

• What happens when you increase/decrease the flow rate of air?
• What are the limitations of this setup in measuring diffusion coefficients?