Try it on paper first. A hint, the key idea and the worked solution are here when you need them.
A gas burette holds of a mixture of methane, ethane and helium. After of oxygen (more than enough) is added, the mixture is sparked. The vessel is cooled to the starting temperature and pressure, when all the steam has become liquid. The gas volume is then smaller than before the spark. Shaking with potassium hydroxide solution removes a further . All volumes are measured at the same temperature and pressure. Helium does not react, and its molar mass is . Atomic masses in : H 1.0, C 12.0.
Have you tried it?
Work it out on paper first. It is fine to get stuck or make a mistake: that is how we learn. When you are ready, go through the solution one step at a time, and check each step against your own.
Contraction per volume. : volumes of gas become , so the volume falls by for each volume of methane. : volumes become , so it falls by for each volume of ethane. Helium changes nothing.
Equations. , then , and the absorbed gives . From the last, . Substituting, , so and .
(a), (b) of ethane and of methane.
(c) Helium is , so its mole fraction is .
(d) Oxygen used , which is less than the added, so the oxygen was in excess as stated.
(e) Mole fractions: methane , ethane , helium . .
Check. The gas left after the potassium hydroxide should be the unused oxygen plus helium: , which equals . A matrix solution of the three equations gives the same volumes.
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