Try it on paper first. A hint, the key idea and the worked solution are here when you need them.
At one temperature, pure A has a vapour pressure of and pure B has . A chemist wants an ideal liquid mixture of the two that gives a total pressure of . What mole fraction of A must the liquid have? What is the mole fraction of A in the vapour above it?
An ideal solution obeys Raoult's law at every composition, with and . A positive deviation has a pressure above the Raoult line, a weaker A–B attraction, and . A negative deviation is the opposite. The deviation is .
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.
Plan. The total pressure is a straight line in . We want , so we rearrange.
Step 1. The liquid. .
Step 2. The partial pressure of A. .
Step 3. The vapour. .
Answer: and .
Check. The vapour is richer in A than the liquid, as it should be for the more volatile liquid. And lies between and .
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