1. A mountain biker goes for a ride in the desert. The air temperature is 21°C at the start of the ride, but the temperature in the desert will reach a peak of 51°C. The tires on the bike hold 15.6 L of nitrogen gas at a starting pressure of 249 kPa. The tires will burst when the internal pressure (Pb) reaches 269 kPa. Answer the following questions and show your work. • How many moles of nitrogen gas are in each tire? • What will the tire pressure be at the peak temperature in the desert? • Will the tires burst at the peak temperature? Explain. • To what pressure should the tire pressure be reduced before starting the ride to avoid bursting of the tires in the desert heat? (Assume no significant change in tire volume.)

Respuesta :

One mole of a gas contains 24 liters of the gas. Therefore, the moles of nitrogen are:
15.6 / 24
= 0.65

Using the relation:
P/T = constant,

249/(21 + 273) = P/(51+273)
P = 274.4 kPa at peak temperature

The tires are likely to burst as the pressure has exceeded the maximum pressure.

In order to calculate the filling pressure, we assume that the pressure at 51 °C is 265 kPa
Using the same relation,
P / (21 + 273) = 265/(51 + 273)
P = 240.5 kPa should be the filling pressure