Acetone, CH3COCH3, is a laboratory solvent that is also commonly used as a nail
ID: 958889 • Letter: A
Question
Acetone, CH3COCH3, is a laboratory solvent that is also commonly used as a nail polish remover.
a. Describe the submicroscopic events taking place at the surface of liquid acetone when it evaporates.
b. Do all of the acetone molecules moving away from the surface of the liquid escape? If not, why not? What three criteria must be met for a molecule to escape from the surface of the liquid and move into the gas phase?
c. If you spill some nail polish remover on your hand, the spot will soon feel cold. Why?
d. If you spill some acetone on a lab bench, it evaporates much faster than the same amount of acetone in a test tube. Why?
e. If you spill acetone on a hot plate in the laboratory, it evaporates much more quickly than the same amount of acetone spilled on the cooler lab bench. Why?
Explanation / Answer
c. As a substance turns from a liquid to a gaseous state the molecules become more excited. This means they have more energy. This energy has to come from somewhere, and it is taken from the heat in your skin which makes your skin feel cooler.
d. Lab bench has higher surface area and hence the molecules are more exposed to the atmosphere than test tube. This means that acetone takes a lot amount of heat from much larger surface of bench and hence evaporates faster then in test tube which has less surface area.
e. Hot plate will quickly give energy for acetone to react than the cold lab bench. Hence acetone evaportes faster from hot plate.