Equilibrium partitioning of organic compounds
Some fundamentals ...
Summary and further information
Self test
Problems
Question 1
Answer
Question 2
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Question 3
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Question 4
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Question 5
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Question 6
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Question 7
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Question 8
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Question 9
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Question 10
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Question 11
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Question 12
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Question 13
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Question 14
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Question 15
Question 16
Question 17
Question 18
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Advanced problems
FAQ
Question 12
| 12 a) | In a restaurant, a colleague of mine ordered still (i.e., non-carbonated) mineral water. Then he turned to me with a smile on his face and said: "I wonder whether they will manage". Why was he wondering? |
| Answer: Ambient air contains CO2 . Thus, water that is in contact with ambient air will inevitably also contain some CO2 (although not enough to make it sparkling) and it would be quite an effort to remove it. | |
| 12 b) | What can one conclude from the fact that CO2 spontaneously starts to bubble out when a bottle of sparkling water is opened. And what does that mean for the CO2 concentration in the gas phase of the bottle before it was opened? |
| Answer: Apparently, the water was oversaturated with CO2 with respect to the atmospheric concentration of CO2. The CO2 concentration in the gas phase of the bottle before it was opened was much higher than in ambient air because it was most likely in equilibrium with the water phase. | |
| 12 c) | How could all CO2 be removed from the water? |
| Answer: The most efficient way to remove all CO2 is to bubble a gas that does not contain any CO2 (e.g. pure nitrogen) through the water. | |
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