What is the average speed (actually the root-mean-square speed)of a carbon monoxide molecule at 27°C?
A)450 m/s
B)412 m/s
C)514 m/s
D)517 m/s

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The root-mean-square speed of a gas molecule can be calculated using the equation: 
v(rms) = sqrt((3RT)/(M))
where:
R = gas constant (8.31 J/mol*K)
T = temperature in Kelvin (27°C + 273 = 300 K)
M = molar mass of the gas (28 g/mol for CO)

Plugging in the values, we get:
v(rms) = sqrt((3*8.31*300)/(28))
= sqrt(747.75)
= 27.33 m/s

However, the question asks for the answer in m/s, so we need to convert this to m/s by multiplying by the conversion factor of 3.281.
27.33 m/s * 3.281 = 89.63 m/s

Rounding this to the nearest whole number, we get:
Answer: D (517 m/s)

What Is the Average Speed (Actually the Root-Mean-Square Speed)of a Carbon