Question

Will the following increase, decrease, or have no effect on the equilibrium vapor pressure of a substance?

a) increased volume of liquid

b) increased surface area of liquid

c) increased temperature

Answer 1

The influence of the given factors on the equilibrium vapor pressure of a substance would be,

a) increased volume of liquid : have no effect on the equilibrium vapor pressure of a substance. Vapor pressure is essentially only affected by what type of liquid we are using for study and its temperature.

b) increased surface area of liquid : have no effect on the equilibrium vapor pressure of a substance. The vapor pressure is the pressure exerted by the gas in equilibrium with a solid or liquid in a closed container at a given temperature. Thus, it does not depend on the surface area, but only on the type of the substance in consideration.

c) increased temperature : equilibrium vapor pressure would increase. At a higher temperature, more molecules have enough energy to escape from the liquid or solid. At a lower temperature, fewer molecules have sufficient energy to escape from the liquid or solid.