How can effusion be used to separate a mixture of two gases?

Question:   How can effusion be used to separate a mixture of two gases?


Answer:

Effusion is a measurement of how well a molecule can travel through a small opening compared to another molecule.  As a result, if you have two gases with different masses, the one with the smaller mass will tend to move more quickly through the opening than the heavier one.  See Graham's law of effusion for more info about how this works.



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