CHEM1102 Worksheet 10 – Answers to Critical Thinking Questions

The worksheets are available in the tutorials and form an integral part of the learning outcomes and experience
for this unit.

Model 1: Phase Diagrams for Water and Carbon Dioxide

1. Liquid.
2. See H2O diagram below. The temperature is greater than the normal boiling point so when the pressure is
reduced to 1 atm, the water will boil. The person removing the radiator cap is likely to get badly scolded
by the steam.
3. See CO2 diagram below. The gas needs to be put under pressure.

H2O CO2

D
A

Model 2: Under Pressure

1. See blue arrow on H2O diagram opposite. The snow will
partially melt. If the pressure is continued, it may all melt.
G H2O
2. See red arrow on H2O diagram opposite. The melted
snow will refreeze in a more compact and stronger
structure than the original snow.
3. See green arrow on H2O diagram opposite. A very high
pressure indeed would be needed to melt the snow even at
the South Pole. This could definitely not be provided by a
hand so making snow balls at the Poles is not possible F A
(without warming the snow to close to the melting point
first).
Making snowballs out of frozen water on the other worlds
is sadly not possible.

4. See red arrow on CO2 diagram above. Because of the slope of the line representing the solid – liquid
transition in CO2, the solid will never melt simply by applying pressure. Making snowballs on the other
worlds out of CO2 is sadly not possible.
Model 3: Allotropes and Pressure
1. It sublimes. (ii)
2. (i)   Graphite, liquid and gas.  
(ii)     Graphite, diamond and liquid.
3.     Diamond is more dense: increasing the pressure
favours diamond.  
4. The structures of diamond and graphite are
consistent with this. Diamond consists of a 3-
dimensional, covalent network with 4 coordinate
carbon atoms. Graphite consists of planar sheets
containing 3 coordinate carbon atoms which are (i)
separated by relatively long spacings.
CHEM1102 2010-N-2 November 2010
Marks
• The diagram below shows part of the phase diagram of water. 5
Pressure (logarithmic scale) 10 kPa

1 kPa

100 Pa

10 Pa
200 300 400
Temperature (K)
The average pressure on the surface of Mars is around 0.6 kPa. If the night time temperature is –60
°C and a summer day temperature is 20 °C, describe what happens to any water on the surface of
Mars as the sun rises.

This process is illustrated by the red arrow in the phase diagram above. The process occurs
just below the triple point so the phase changes from solid (at –60 °C) to gas (at 20 °C).

Water sublimes as the sun rises on Mars.

(Note the logarithmic scale on the graph. Each horizontal line between 100 Pa (0.1 kPa) and 1
kPa (1000 Pa) represents an increase of 100 Pa (0.1 kPa).)

The highest surface pressure on Mars is thought to occur at the Hellas Basin, a low-lying area
created by the impact of a large asteroid. If the pressure in this region is
1.2 kPa, use the phase diagram to estimate the temperature range in which liquid water will occur.
Show your working on the phase diagram.

At 1.2 kPa, water is a liquid in the temperature range covered by the double-headed blue
arrow in the phase diagram above.

Within the accuracy possible on the diagram, this corresponds to the temperature range 280 –
300 K.
CHEM1102 2013-J-7 June 2013
Marks
• A phase diagram of water is shown below. 7
B
4
C (374 °C, 218 atm)

1 2
Pressure 3

A (0.01 °C, 0.00603 atm)

Temperature

Identify the four phases shown as 1-4 in the phase diagram.

1: solid 2: liquid

3: gas 4: supercritical fluid

What are the phase changes highlighted by the forward and reverse arrows called?

Forward: sublimation Reverse: deposition

What names are given to the points A and C?

A: triple point C: critical point

The boundary line A-B is slightly tilted to the left. What are the physical and biological
significances of this?

Solid water (ice) is less dense than liquid water. Ice therefore floats and rivers, lakes and
oceans freeze from the top town.
As just the surface of a body of water freezes, the liquid environment for the life-forms
below the surface is preserved. If the water in a cell freezes, the ice crystals take up more
space than the liquid and this can cause cell walls to break.

What are the physical characteristics of water in phase 4?

It can be considered as either a very dense gas or as a rarefied liquid with physical
properties (e.g. density, viscosity, diffusion coefficients) between those of liquids and gases.
It is a good solvent.