Try it on paper first. A hint, the key idea and the worked solution are here when you need them.
Liquid nitrogen has a density of kg/m³. Nitrogen gas at K and kPa fills much more space. Take kg/mol. Find the volume for each molecule in the liquid and in the gas, and the average spacing in each. How many times further apart are the molecules in the gas?
One mole holds particles, and . In a gas each molecule has a volume , and the average spacing is its cube root. In a liquid the volume for each molecule 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. Find the volume for each molecule in both states. The spacing is its cube root.
Step 1. The liquid. One mole fills . Shared among molecules, each has . The cube root is m, that is nm.
Step 2. The gas. . The cube root is nm.
Step 3. Compare. .
Answer: nm in the liquid, nm in the gas, about times further apart.
Check. The volumes differ by about times, and is about . In the liquid the spacing is close to the size of a molecule, so the molecules nearly touch.
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