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Topic: ppm and ppmv for gases in the atmosphere (catch my nooby mistake?)  (Read 8737 times)

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Offline CopperSmurf

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ppm and ppmv for gases in the atmosphere (catch my nooby mistake?)
« on: September 12, 2009, 09:59:19 PM »
An equivalent definition for compounds in the gas phase, ppm or ppmv, is the (pressure of the compound) / (total pressure) x 106. The concentration of SO2 in the air is 49 micrograms/m3 at a temperature of 30 oC and 0.8 atm. Now I need to find its concentration in ppmv

This is what I did:
30 oC = 303.15 K
0.0821 L atm / (K mol) = R = gas constant
64 g/mol = MW of SO2

[49 micrograms/m3 x 1g/106micrograms x 1m3/1000L x 303.15 K x 0.0821 L atm / (K mol) ] / (64g/mol)
= 1.9055 x 10-8 atm = pressure of SO2

ppmv = (as defined above) = 1.9055 x 10-8 atm / 0.8 atm x 106 = 2.38 x 10-2

clearly I must've made a mistake somewhere because 2.38 x 10-2 is not the answer and neither is 23.8
help anyone?

Offline Borek

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Re: ppm and ppmv for gases in the atmosphere (catch my nooby mistake?)
« Reply #1 on: September 13, 2009, 04:07:49 AM »
clearly I must've made a mistake somewhere because 2.38 x 10-2 is not the answer

Is not?
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Offline CopperSmurf

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Re: ppm and ppmv for gases in the atmosphere (catch my nooby mistake?)
« Reply #2 on: September 13, 2009, 11:16:26 AM »
It's not the answer.  ???  Strange isn't it? Maybe my approach is wrong.

Offline Borek

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Re: ppm and ppmv for gases in the atmosphere (catch my nooby mistake?)
« Reply #3 on: September 13, 2009, 11:58:25 AM »
I am hardly perfect, but I got the same result (24 ppbv).
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