Question Details

At the same temperature, the average molar kinetic energy of N₂ and CO is

Options

A

KE₁ > KE₂

B

KE₁ < KE₂

C

KE₁ = KE₂

D

insufficient information given

Correct Answer :

KE₁ = KE₂

Solution :

The correct option is KE₁ = KE₂.

To understand why this is correct, let's look at the relationship between the average molar kinetic energy of a gas and its temperature.

According to the kinetic molecular theory of gases, the average translational kinetic energy (Ek) per mole of any ideal gas is directly proportional to its absolute temperature.

The formula for the average molar kinetic energy of a gas is given by:
Ek = 32 R T
where:
- R is the universal gas constant.
- T is the absolute temperature in Kelvin.

From this equation, we can see that the average molar kinetic energy depends solely on the temperature (T) of the gas, and it is completely independent of the identity, chemical formula, or molar mass of the gas molecules.

Since the problem states that both nitrogen (N2, represented by KE1) and carbon monoxide (CO, represented by KE2) are at the same temperature, their average molar kinetic energies must be equal.

Therefore, we have:
KE1 = KE2

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