Liquid water can be separated into hydrogen gas and oxygen through electrolysis. 1 mole of hydrogen gas and 0.5 moles of oxygen gas are produced from 1 mole of liquid water and are collected into separate containers of the same volume at the same temperature. Are the pressures of the gases equal? In one or two sentences, use the ideal gas law to explain your answer.

Answer 1

According to the ideal gas law (PV = nRT), for gases at the same temperature (T) and volume (V), the pressure (P) is directly proportional to the number of moles (n). Since 1 mole of hydrogen gas and 0.5 moles of oxygen gas are present in equal volumes at the same temperature, the pressure of the hydrogen gas will be twice that of the oxygen gas, leading to unequal pressures.