In 1-3 sentences, critically evaluate each of the following statements, stating
ID: 1071558 • Letter: I
Question
In 1-3 sentences, critically evaluate each of the following statements, stating whether the conclusion is reasonable or violates basic principles of thermodynamics. A sample of air is separated from a large evacuated chamber and the entire system is isolated from the surroundings. A small pinhole between the two chambers is opened and roughly half the gas is allowed to effuse into the second chamber before the pinhole is closed. Because nitrogen effuses faster than oxygen, the gas in the second chamber is richer in nitrogen, and that in the first chamber is richer in oxygen than the original air. The gases have thus at least partially spontaneously unmixed, which is a violation of the Second Law. One can supercool water and maintain it at temperatures as low as -10degree C. A sample of supercooled liquid water is isolated in a closed, thermally insulated container. After a time the water spontaneously changes to a mixture of ice and water at 0 degree C. The spontaneous increase in the water's temperature with no heat input from the surroundings is consistent with the Second Law. A volume of an aqueous solution of hydrogen peroxide is placed in a cylinder and covered with a tight-fitting piston. TA small amount of the enzyme catalase is placed on a probe and introduced into to the solution. The enzyme catalyzes the decomposition of the hydrogen peroxide, and the decomposition products raise the piston. The catalase is then withdrawn, allowing the hydrogen peroxide to re-form and the piston returns to its original position. By connecting the piston to an engine, net work can be obtained indefinitely by cyclically inserting and removing the catalase.Explanation / Answer
Explanation of sentences
a. When two chambers one with xoygen and other with N2 is allowed to mix partially. The one chamber would have excess N2 and the other have excess O2. N2 being lighter gas diffuses faster than heavier O2. According to second law of thermodynamics the energy of the system and so is the entropy increases over time, which is not the case here, mixing reduces the energy of the system.
b. Supercooled water in an insulated container upon standing changes into a mixture of ice and water without any input of heat. This is according to second law of thermodynamics which states a system goes to a state of increasing entropy over time and the process is spontaneous.
c. The net work done by the decompostion of H2O2 by catalase enzyme in raising the piston can be calulated by considering no heat is lost or gained by the system. The method supports this hypothesis.