Question

here is a graph of the pressure of sulfur dioxide (so₂) in a reaction vessel during a certain chemical reaction. use this graph to answer the questions in the table below. is so₂ being created or destroyed by the chemical reaction? created destroyed neither created nor destroyed if so₂ is being created or destroyed, what is the rate at which it is being created or destroyed 130 seconds after the reaction starts? round your answer to 2 significant digits. also be sure your answer has the correct unit symbol. if so₂ is being created or destroyed, what is the average rate at which it is being created or destroyed during the first 130 seconds of the reaction? round your answer to 2 significant digits. also be sure your answer has the correct unit symbol.

Explanation:

Step1: Determine creation or destruction

As the pressure of $SO_2$ is decreasing over time, $SO_2$ is being destroyed.

Step2: Find the instantaneous rate at $t = 130$ s

To find the instantaneous rate at $t=130$ s, we need to find the slope of the tangent line to the curve at $t = 130$ s. By estimating from the graph, we can take two - points close to $t = 130$ s. Let's assume the points $(120,7)$ and $(140,5)$. The slope formula is $m=\frac{\Delta P}{\Delta t}$, where $\Delta P$ is the change in pressure and $\Delta t$ is the change in time. $\Delta P=5 - 7=- 2$ atm and $\Delta t=140 - 120 = 20$ s. So the instantaneous rate $r_{inst}=\frac{\Delta P}{\Delta t}=\frac{-2}{20}=-0.10$ atm/s.

Step3: Find the average rate in the first 130 s

The initial pressure $P_0 = 20$ atm and the pressure at $t = 130$ s, $P_{130}\approx6$ atm. The average - rate formula is $r_{avg}=\frac{\Delta P}{\Delta t}$, where $\Delta P=P_{130}-P_0=6 - 20=-14$ atm and $\Delta t = 130$ s. So $r_{avg}=\frac{-14}{130}\approx - 0.11$ atm/s.

Answer:

Is $SO_2$ being created or destroyed by the chemical reaction? Destroyed
If $SO_2$ is being created or destroyed, what is the rate at which it is being created or destroyed 130 seconds after the reaction starts? $-0.10$ atm/s
If $SO_2$ is being created or destroyed, what is the average rate at which it is being created or destroyed during the first 130 seconds of the reaction? $-0.11$ atm/s