Solution

ID: past-exam-of-the-medicine-course-of-the-university-of-oxford/1867/first-examination/chemistry/6/solution

Take dry air as unity, and compare each gas at the same temperature and pressure. In the ideal gas approximation, , so the relative density is
Here is molar mass. The following values use modern approximate molar masses; rounding and historical atomic weight conventions can shift the last figures.
Historical name and modern identificationFormulaRelative density, air
Carbonic acid: carbon dioxide gas44.011.519
Carbonic oxide: carbon monoxide28.010.967
Nitrous oxide44.011.519
Dry airMixture28.971.000
Ammonia17.030.588
Olefiant gas: Ethylene28.050.968
Alcohol vapour: ethanol46.071.590
Ether vapour: diethyl ether74.122.559
“Olefiant gas” is confirmed as a historical synonym of Ethylene in the NIST Chemistry WebBook, SRD 69. In this gas list, “carbonic acid” means carbon dioxide, not an isolated vapour of aqueous . “Alcohol” and “ether” refer to ethanol and diethyl ether, rather than their entire modern chemical classes.[ref]
The order is therefore Ammonia, then carbon monoxide and Ethylene nearly tied, then air, then carbon dioxide and nitrous oxide nearly tied, then ethanol vapour, then diethyl ether vapour. Nearly equal molar masses do not imply equal chemical behaviour.
If instead molecular hydrogen is chosen as unity, divide each molar mass by about and state that convention. In the older nominal approximation, the corresponding values are about in the source order. These are a different reference scale, not different substances.
The vapour comparisons are not comparisons of the liquid densities. Pure ethanol and diethyl ether must be considered at conditions where they remain gaseous, or by a low-pressure gas approximation. Their liquids can be lighter than water while their vapours are heavier than air.

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