What is the ratio predicted from Graham's law for rates of diffusion for NH_3/HCl ?

1 Answer
Jul 28, 2017

Graham's Law of Diffusion just bases the ratio of diffusion rates z on the reciprocal ratio of the square root of the molar masses M. If we normalize one molar mass to 1 and the diffusion rate of that gas to 1, then

z^"*" prop 1/sqrt(M^"*").

Or more explicitly, with either gas having z and M not 1,

z_B/z_A = sqrt(M_A/M_B)

You can see this answer for a more explicit derivation.

(The molar masses here can be used as "g/mol", despite the molar masses in, say, the RMS speed expression, being in "kg/mol", since the factors of 1000 cancel out.)

=> color(blue)(z_(NH_3)/(z_(HCl))) = sqrt(M_(HCl)/M_(NH_3))

= sqrt("36.4609 g/mol"/"17.0307 g/mol")

= color(blue)(1.463)

So, ammonia gas diffuses a bit less than 1.5 times as fast as hydrogen chloride gas.

Another way to do this is to get the ratio of their molar masses right away:

"17.0307 g/mol"/"36.4609 g/mol" = 0.467

and as such, we normalize M_(NH_3) to 0.467 and M_(HCl) to 1, as well as z_(HCl) = 1.

Ammonia then has a rate of diffusion that is...

z_(NH_3) prop 1/sqrt(0.467) => 1.463 times as fast.

Whichever way works for you. I would suggest the first way, which is perhaps a bit less confusing.