[pcmcc]

Hello all,

Quick chemistry question. How much is evaporation rate influenced by the composition of the surrounding atmosphere? IE if I had three sealed containers containing equal amounts of a liquid and filled one with air, one with CO2, and one with N2, would they end up at different a equilibrium?  Which one would experience the least evaporation before hitting equilibrium and why? I know vapor pressure comes into play somewhere, but not sure on the concept as a whole. Thanks in advance!

[CrimpJiggler]

Interesting question. Each gas would have a different solubility in the liquid. Lets say CO₂ is the most soluble gas, that would mean there would be less CO₂ in the space inside the container and thus, less vapour pressure. As you know, less vapour pressure caused by CO₂ means more of the liquid can evaporate. At the same time though CO₂ would produce colligative properties wouldn't it? I know this is how it works when you dissolve a salt but I don't know if non ionising compounds like CO₂ produce colligative properties such as boiling point elevation.