Bacteria and viruses are inactivated by temperatures above 145 deg C in an autoclave. An autoclave contains steam at 1.00 atm and 100 deg C At what pressure, in atmospheres, will the temperature of the steam in the autoclave reach 145 deg C if n and V do not change? Express the pressure to three significant figures and include the appropriate units.

Question

Bacteria and viruses are inactivated by temperatures above 145 deg  C in an autoclave. An autoclave contains steam at 1.00 atm and 100 deg  C At what pressure, in atmospheres, will the temperature of the steam in the autoclave reach 145 deg C if n and V do not change? Express the pressure to three significant figures and include the appropriate units.

GPT 3.5 · Answer

To find the pressure at 145 deg C, we can use the combined gas law equation:

(P1)(V1) / (T1) = (P2)(V2) / (T2)

Since n and V do not change, we can cancel them out:

(P1) / (T1) = (P2) / (T2)

Plugging in the given values:

(P1) / (100 + 273) K = (P2) / (145 + 273) K

Now we can solve for P2:

P2 = (P1) * (145 + 273) K / (100 + 273) K

P2 = (1.00 atm) * (145 + 273) K / (100 + 273) K

P2 ≈ 1.977 atm

Therefore, the pressure in atmospheres when the temperature of the steam reaches 145 deg C is approximately 1.977 atm.