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6.4 Effusion and Diffusion

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Effusion and Diffusion

Effusion is the escaping of a gas through a small opening. Diffusion is the spreading of a gas throughout a medium. The rate of diffusion/effusion of gases are inversely proportional to their molar masses. Intuitively, if a gas has a larger molar mass, it would be more difficult for it to move through a small gap—giving it a lower rate of effusion. This is known as Graham’s Law.

R1R2=MM2MM1\frac{R_1}{R_2} = \sqrt{\frac{MM_2}{MM_1}}

In this unit

4 lessons

  1. 6.1Intermolecular Forces (IMFs)Preview lesson
  2. 6.2Gases and Kinetic TheoryPreview lesson
  3. 6.3Gas StoichiometryPreview lesson
  4. 6.4Effusion and DiffusionThis lesson

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