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Consider a sealed container half-filled with water. Which statement best describes what occurs in the container a. Water evaporates until the air is saturated with water vapor; at this point, no more water evaporates. b. Water evaporates until the air is overly saturated (supersaturated) with water, and most of this water recondenses; this cycle continues until a certain amount of water vapor is present, and then the cycle ceases. c. Water does not evaporate because the container is sealed. d. Water evaporates, and then water evaporates and recondenses simultaneously and continuously. e. Water evaporates until it is eventually all in vapor form. Explain each choice. Justify your choice, and for choices you did not pick, explain what is wrong with them.

Short Answer

Expert verified
The correct statement is choice A, which states that water evaporates until the air is saturated with water vapor, and at this point, no more water evaporates. This situation represents an equilibrium between evaporation and condensation in the sealed container. The other choices are incorrect or misleading as they do not accurately describe the behavior of water and air within a closed system at constant temperature.

Step by step solution

01

Choice A: Equilibrium at saturation point

Water in the sealed container will evaporate until the air is saturated with water vapor, and at this point, no more water will evaporate. This situation represents an equilibrium between evaporation and condensation. This choice is correct as it represents the actual behavior of water and air in a sealed container at a constant temperature.
02

Choice B: Cyclic supersaturation and recondensation

This choice suggests that water evaporates until the air is supersaturated, causing most of the evaporated water to recondense. According to this choice, this cycle continues until a certain amount of water vapor is present, and then the cycle stops. This choice is incorrect since supersaturation is an unstable state and requires specific conditions (e.g., rapid cooling) to occur. In reality, the water vapor will reach saturation, and equilibrium will take place.
03

Choice C: No evaporation in sealed container

This choice states that water will not evaporate as the container is sealed. This statement is incorrect since evaporation is a phenomenon that occurs at the molecular level, where molecules escape from the surface of the liquid into the gaseous phase. Sealing the container will not prevent this process from happening.
04

Choice D: Continuous evaporation and recondensation

This choice implies that water in the container evaporates and recondenses at the same time, which creates a continuous cycle. Although this choice is similar to the equilibrium state in choice A, it differs in the fact that choice A states that the total evaporation will stop once saturation is reached. So, this choice is somewhat misleading, and the correct understanding should be based on the equilibrium between evaporation and condensation at the saturation point, as described in choice A.
05

Choice E: Complete vaporization

This choice states that water evaporates until it is entirely in vapor form. Here, we need to consider that vaporization is a process that follows an equilibrium condition between evaporation and condensation. In a sealed container at constant temperature, the water will evaporate only until the air is saturated with water vapor, and at that point, the rate of evaporation will equal the rate of condensation. Therefore, this choice is incorrect since it implies no equilibrium is reached, and the container's temperature is not considered. In conclusion, choice A is the correct statement as it accurately describes the equilibrium state between evaporation and condensation at the saturation point in a sealed container. The other choices either present incorrect or misleading scenarios based on the behavior of water and air within a closed system.

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Key Concepts

These are the key concepts you need to understand to accurately answer the question.

Evaporation
Evaporation is a key process in which molecules at the surface of a liquid gain sufficient energy to enter the gaseous phase. This occurs because molecules are constantly moving and colliding, and some acquire enough kinetic energy to break free from the surface tension of the liquid. Even in a sealed container, evaporation will occur until the space above the liquid is filled with vapor. Over time, this leads to a state where the rate at which molecules leave the liquid equals the rate at which they return from the gaseous phase. This is known as dynamic equilibrium.
  • Evaporation involves an increase in kinetic energy, allowing molecules to escape into vapor form.
  • The sealed container allows vapor pressure to build up, eventually reaching a balance.
Understanding evaporation is essential for grasping why liquids change phase even in confined spaces and how it contributes to reaching saturation.
Condensation
Condensation is the reverse process of evaporation. It occurs when gas molecules lose energy and transition back into the liquid phase. This process plays a vital role in establishing equilibrium in a sealed container, like the half-filled water container in the exercise. When the vapor pressure inside the container becomes equal to the saturation vapor pressure, condensation starts occurring at the same rate as evaporation. This balance ensures that the number of molecules returning to the liquid state is equal to the number escaping it.
  • Condensation involves a decrease in energy, causing the gas to transform into liquid.
  • It helps maintain equilibrium along with evaporation, once saturation is reached.
This simultaneous occurrence of evaporation and condensation ensures that the system remains stable, preventing complete vaporization of the liquid.
Saturation
Saturation occurs when the air holds as much moisture as it can at a given temperature and pressure. In a sealed container, as described in the exercise, saturation impacts the balance between evaporation and condensation. As water evaporates, it increases the amount of water vapor in the air until it reaches a maximum level where the air is saturated. Once this equilibrium is achieved, any further increase in vapor is condensed back into the liquid phase.
  • Saturation is the maximum capacity of air to hold water vapor at a specific temperature.
  • Beyond saturation, additional vapor condenses, maintaining the equilibrium.
Grasping the concept of saturation helps us understand why, in a closed system, the water does not fully evaporate but instead reaches a point of balance where liquid and gaseous phases coexist.

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Most popular questions from this chapter

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