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Chapter 12: Problem 32

One popular demonstration in chemistry labs is performed by boiling a small quantity of water in a metal can (such as a used soda can), picking up the can with tongs and quickly submerging it upside down in cold water. The can collapses with a loud and satisfying pop. Give an explanation of this crushing of the can. (Note: If you try this demonstration, do not heat the can over an open flame.)

Short Answer

Expert verified
The can is crushed due to the sudden change in pressure inside and outside the can caused by the rapid cooling and condensation of gas inside it. The atmospheric pressure outside the can becomes much greater than the low or almost zero pressure inside the can, causing the can to collapse under the external pressure.

Step by step solution

01

Understanding the Physical Principles

There are two important physical principles to understand before diving into the explanation: Charles's Law and the principle of atmospheric pressure. Charles's Law states that the volume of a gas is directly proportional to its temperature. This means if a gas is heated, its volume will increase and if it is cooled, its volume will decrease. Atmosphere pressure plays a role in moving things from high pressure to low pressure.
02

Initial Conditions inside the Can

When the can is heated, the water inside it forms steam which pushes out most of the air originally inside the can. This causes the pressure inside the can to increase, which isn't a problem initially because the pressure inside the can is balanced by the atmospheric pressure outside.
03

Change in Conditions

When the can is quickly placed in the cold water, the steam inside cools rapidly and condenses back into liquid water. This drastically reduces the volume of the gas inside the can, creating a partial vacuum. With the gas volume decreased, the pressure inside the can drops rapidly.
04

Crushing of the Can

The pressure outside the can (atmospheric pressure) is now significantly greater than the pressure inside the can. Therefore, the greater external pressure crushes the can to equalize the pressure difference, resulting in the 'loud and satisfying pop'.

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