Question

Which of the following gases will have the highest rate of diffusion?

• A. $CO_2$
• B. $N_2$
• C. $NH_3$
• D. $O_2$

Answer 1

The Correct Option is C

Rate of diffusion $\propto (1 / M)$ $M =$ molecular mass $M \left( CO _{2}\right)=44 \,\,\,\,\,\,\,\,\, M \left( N _{2}\right)=28$ $M \left( NH _{3}\right)=17 \,\,\,\,\,\,\,\,\,\, M \left( O _{2}\right)=32$ Therefore, rate of $NH _{3}$ diffusion is greater than other.

Answer 2

Ans: The rate of diffusion can depend on many factors. Some of them are: Molecular mass, pressure, temperature. When it comes to gases, the lighter gases tend to diffuse faster. 

For this question, the molecular mass will be taken into consideration. The rate of diffusion is inversely proportional to molecular mass. Higher the molecular mass lower is the rate of diffusion. 

The molecular mass of the molecules are as follows: 

CO₂= 44

NH₃ = 17

N₂= 28 

O₂= 32. 
Therefore, based on the molecular mass, the rate of diffusion of NH₃ is the highest.