A sealed glass flask at 298 K contains a dry artificial "air" mixture composed only of nitrogen, oxygen, argon, and carbon dioxide. The amount (in moles) of each component is listed in the table below.
Gas
Amount (mol)
N₂
2.00
O₂
0.50
Ar
0.10
CO₂
0.040
When the flask is connected to a manometer, the total pressure of the gas mixture is found to be exactly 1.00 atm.
(a) Calculate the mole fraction of each gas in the mixture. Show your work clearly.
(b) Determine the partial pressure (in atm) exerted by each gas.
(c) Rank the four gases from greatest to least in their contribution to the total pressure. Explain your ranking in one or two concise sentences that refer explicitly to quantitative results from parts (a) and (b).