Today we will read about the Vapour Pressure. We hope you will be satisfied with the information given by us
Vapour pressure
If an evacuated container is partially filled with a liquid, a portion of liquid evaporates to fill the remaining volume of the container with vapour. Initially the liquid evaporates and pressure exerted by vapours on the walls of the container(vapours pressure) increases. After some time it becomes constant, an equilibrium is established between liquid phase and vapour pahse. Vapours pressure at this stage is known as equilibrium vapour pressure or saturated vapours pressure.
Since process of vapourisation is temperature-dependent; the temperature must be mentioned while reporting the vapour pressure of a liquid.
When a liquid is heated in an open vessel, the liquid vapourises from the surface. At the temperature at which vapour pressure of the liquid becomes equal to the external pressure, vapourisation can occur throughout the bulk of the liquid and vapours expand freely into the surroundings. The condition of free Vapourisation throughout the liquid is called boiling. The temperature at which vapour pressure of liquid is equal to the external pressure is called boiling temperature at that pressure. Vapour pressure of some common liquid at various temperatures is given in.
At 1 atm pressure boiling temperature is called normal boiling point. If pressure is 1 bar then the boiling point is called standard boiling point of the liquid. Standard boiling point of the liquid is slightly lower than the normal boiling point because 1 bar pressure is slightly less than 1 atm pressure. The normal boiling point of water is 100 oC (373 K), its standard boiling point is 99.6 oC (372.6 K).
Vapours Pressure vs Temperature Curve
At high altitudes atmospheric pressure is low. Therefore liquids at high altitudes boil at lower temperatures in comparison to that at sea level. Sine water boils at low temperatures on hills, the pressure cooker is used for cooking food. In hospitals, surgical instruments are sterilized in autoclaves in which boiling point of water is increased by increasing the pressure above the atmospheric pressure by using a weight covering the vent.
Boiling does not occur when liquid is heated in a closed vessel. On heating continuously vapour pressure increases. At first, a clear boundary is visible between liquid and vapour phase because liquid is more dense than vapour. As the temperature increases more and more molecules go to vapour phasc and density of vapours rises. At the same time liquid becomes less dense. It expands because molecules move apart. When density of liquid and vapours becomes the same; the clear boundary between liquid and vapours disappears. This temperature is Critical Temperature.
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