Which solution has the higher vapor pressure? #(A)# A solution that boils at #100^@ "C"# #(B)# A solution that boils at #-33^@ "C"#

#(A)# A solution that boils at #100^@ "C"#
#(B)# A solution that boils at #-33^@ "C"#

1 Answer
Truong-Son N.
Apr 2, 2016

Vapor pressure is just the amount of gas in the liquid-gas equilibrium; the higher the vapor pressure, the more gas there is, and thus the vaporization can occur more easily, as it is easier to shift the liquid-gas equilibrium to vaporize more liquid into gas when there is a lot of gas.

#A# has the higher boiling point, so it is harder to vaporize, since you have to reach a higher temperature for the vapor pressure to equal the atmospheric pressure, which would be what makes the vaporization occur.

Since #A# is harder to vaporize, it has the lower vapor pressure. Therefore, #B# has the higher vapor pressure.

If that isn't enough detail, I've covered it in more detail here.

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