A student placed a gas jar containing air in the upside down position over a gas jar full of red-brown bromine vapours. He observed that the red brown colour spread upwards into the jar containing air. Based on this observation, the student concluded that it is only the bromine vapour which moves up and diffuses into air in the upper jar, the air from the upper jar does not move down by diffusion into the lower jar containing bromine vapours. Do you agree with this conclusion of the student? Give reason for your answer.
The conclusion is wrong. Air present in the upper jar also diffuses downwards into bromine vapours in the lower gas jar. But since air is a colourless gas, the student could not notice its presence in lower gas jar.

Question

A student placed a gas jar containing air in the upside down position over a gas jar full of red-brown bromine vapours. He observed that the red brown colour spread upwards into the jar containing air. Based on this observation, the student concluded that it is only the bromine vapour which moves up and diffuses into air in the upper jar, the air from the upper jar does not move down by diffusion into the lower jar containing bromine vapours. Do you agree with this conclusion of the student? Give reason for your answer.

The conclusion is wrong. Air present in the upper jar also diffuses downwards into bromine vapours in the lower gas jar. But since air is a colourless gas, the student could not notice its presence in lower gas jar.

Philoid · Accepted Answer

The conclusion is wrong. Air present in the upper jar also diffuses downwards into bromine vapours in the lower gas jar. But since air is a colourless gas, the student could not notice its presence in lower gas jar.