Rate of effusion, also known as the rate of escape, refers to the speed at which gas molecules leave a container. The rate of effusion is directly proportional to the square root of the gas's molar mass and inversely proportional to the square root of its absolute temperature. The equation used to calculate the rate of effusion is:
R = √(2RT/M)
where R is the rate of effusion (m/s), T is the temperature in kelvin, R is the ideal gas constant (8.31 J/molK), and M is the molar mass of the gas (g/mol).
For example, if two gases A and B are in the same container at the same temperature, the gas with the smaller molar mass will have a higher rate of effusion. This is because the lighter gas molecules will have a higher velocity and therefore a higher rate of escape from the container.
The rate of effusion can be useful in a number of applications, such as in determining the composition of a mixture of gases by measuring the rate of effusion of each individual gas. It can also be used to compare the behavior of different gases under different conditions.
