According to the Law of Gaseous Diffusion, what happens to gases in a mixture?

According to the Law of Gaseous Diffusion, what happens to gases in a mixture?

• A. They remain at equal concentrations
• B. They diffuse towards higher pressure areas
• C. They diffuse from higher concentration to lower concentration
• D. They combine into a single compound

Answer: (C)

The Law of Gaseous Diffusion states that gases in a mixture will naturally move from areas of higher concentration to areas of lower concentration. This is driven by the principle that particles in a gas behave independently and will seek to evenly distribute themselves throughout a given space. In practical terms, if you have a container filled with two different gases, the molecules will gradually spread out until they are evenly distributed across the container. This process occurs regardless of the types of gases involved, as each gas moves independently of the others until equilibrium is reached. Therefore, option C correctly describes this process of diffusion and highlights the fundamental behavior of gases in mixtures. Understanding this principle is key in various applications, including understanding how oxygen and carbon dioxide are exchanged in the lungs, which is essential for aerospace physiology.

The Law of Gaseous Diffusion states that gases in a mixture will naturally move from areas of higher concentration to areas of lower concentration. This is driven by the principle that particles in a gas behave independently and will seek to evenly distribute themselves throughout a given space.

In practical terms, if you have a container filled with two different gases, the molecules will gradually spread out until they are evenly distributed across the container. This process occurs regardless of the types of gases involved, as each gas moves independently of the others until equilibrium is reached.

Therefore, option C correctly describes this process of diffusion and highlights the fundamental behavior of gases in mixtures. Understanding this principle is key in various applications, including understanding how oxygen and carbon dioxide are exchanged in the lungs, which is essential for aerospace physiology.