Experimentally Determining the Molecular Weight of Carbon Dioxide Using a Mylar Balloon

The molar mass of carbon dioxide was experimentally determined using a Mylar balloon. Mylar balloons are lightweight, have a fixed definite volume, and require minimal additional pressure for inflation. Using the Ideal Gas Equation, the number of moles of air in the balloon was calculated. The molar...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:	Journal of chemical education Vol. 75; no. 8; p. 997
Main Authors:	Jackson, Barbara Albers, Crouse, David J
Format:	Journal Article
Language:	English
Published:	Division of Chemical Education 01-08-1998
Subjects:	Hands-On Learning / Manipulatives Laboratory Instruction Cost-Effective Teacher Carbon High School / Introductory Chemistry
Online Access:	Get full text
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Summary:	The molar mass of carbon dioxide was experimentally determined using a Mylar balloon. Mylar balloons are lightweight, have a fixed definite volume, and require minimal additional pressure for inflation. Using the Ideal Gas Equation, the number of moles of air in the balloon was calculated. The molar mass of air was calculated using the percentages of the individual gases. Having these two values, the mass of air in the balloon, also known as the buoyant force of air, was calculated. The balloon was filled with carbon dioxide and the observed mass of the carbon dioxide was added to the mass of the displaced air for the true mass of carbon dioxide. Having the number of moles the balloon holds and the mass of carbon dioxide, the molar mass of carbon dioxide was calculated.
ISSN:	0021-9584 1938-1328
DOI:	10.1021/ed075p997