Answer to Question #47931 in Inorganic Chemistry for John Doe

Question

Dry ice is solid carbon dioxide; it vaporizes at room temperature and normal pressures to the gas. Suppose you put 26.6 g of dry ice in a vessel fitted with a piston, and it vaporizes completely to the gas, pushing the piston upward until its pressure and temperature equal those of the surrounding atmosphere at 21.7 °C and 751 mm Hg. Calculate the work done by the gas in expanding against the atmosphere. Neglect the volume of the solid carbon dioxide, which is very small in comparison to the volume of the gas phase.