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2005
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February
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In the Laboratory
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Applying Chemical Potential and Partial Pressure Concepts To Understand the Spontaneous Mixing of Helium and Air in a Helium-Inflated Balloon
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Jee-Yon Lee and Hee-Soo Yoo
Department of Chemistry, Chungbuk National University, Cheong-ju 361-763, Korea
Jong Sook Park, Kwang-Jin Hwang, and Jin Seog Kim
Division of Chemical Metrology and Materials Evaluation, Korea Research Institute of Standards and Science, Yuseong, Deajeon, 305-600, Korea
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February 2005
Vol. 82 No. 2
p. 288
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| Abstract |
In developing this laboratory, our initial motivation for the analysis of gases in a balloon was to answer simple and basic questions, such as, Why does a helium-charged balloon left in the air always drop in a few days? Is leakage of helium the only cause of the drop? What is the composition of the gas in the balloon when it falls after deflation? Students were intrigued by these questions, too, as they analyzed the variation over time in the composition in a balloon inflated with helium. Using the concepts of partial pressure and chemical potential, the laboratory experiment described effectively investigates the diffusion process and the behavior of gas molecules for teaching these concepts in general and physical chemistry.
See Letter re: this article.
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| Supplement |
Instructions for the students and notes for the instructor are available.
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 Contents |
JCE2005p0288W.doc (Microsoft Word)
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| Download |
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| More Information |
Citation |
Lee, Jee-Yon; Yoo, Hee-Soo; Park, Jong Sook; Hwang, Kwang-Jin; Kim, Jin Seog. J. Chem. Educ. 2005 82 288.
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Keywords |
Diffusion; Gases; General Chemistry; Physical Chemistry
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History |
Created:
Last Updated: |
January 4, 2005
September 7, 2005
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Link to Letter added (September 2005).
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| Home > JCE Print > Journal of Chemical Education > Issues >
2005
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February
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288
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