Question

Water in an open beaker evaporates over time. As the water is evaporating, is the vapor pressure increasing, decreasing, or staying the same? Why?

Short answer

In an open beaker, the vapor pressure during evaporation can increase, decrease, or remain constant, depending on the condition of the surrounding air. It is influenced by the humidity and the capacity of the air to accept more water vapor molecules. If the air is dry and can absorb more vapor, the vapor pressure decreases; if the air is saturated and cannot accommodate more vapor, the vapor pressure remains constant.

Step-by-step solution

Understand vapor pressure

Vapor pressure is the pressure exerted by the vapor molecules above a liquid's surface when the liquid is in equilibrium with its vapor phase. It depends on the temperature and the nature of the liquid and is a measure of the liquid's volatility.

Understand the evaporation process

Evaporation is the process in which molecules of a liquid gain enough energy to change from the liquid phase to the vapor phase. At any given temperature, some molecules in a liquid have enough energy to escape the surface and become vapor. Simultaneously, some vapor molecules lose energy and return to the liquid state, a process called condensation. When the rates of evaporation and condensation are equal, the system reaches a dynamic equilibrium, and the vapor pressure above the liquid remains constant.

Evaporation in an open beaker

In an open beaker, water molecules are constantly escaping the surface and becoming vapor, while some vapor molecules return to the liquid state. However, as the beaker is open, the water vapor can escape into the surrounding air. This leads to a continuous evaporation process as the system does not reach an equilibrium state. As a result, the volume of the liquid decreases over time.

Vapor pressure during evaporation in an open beaker

As water evaporates in an open beaker, vapor molecules dissipate into the surrounding air, never allowing the system to reach equilibrium. Therefore, the concentration of vapor molecules above the liquid's surface is not fixed, and vapor pressure depends on the concentration of water vapor molecules in the air surrounding the beaker. If the surrounding air is dry and can absorb more water vapor, the vapor pressure above the liquid will decrease. If the surrounding air is saturated with water vapor and cannot accommodate any more, the vapor pressure above the liquid will remain constant, as the rate of evaporation and condensation will become equal. In general, the vapor pressure in an open beaker is determined by the humidity and capacity of the surrounding air to accept more water vapor molecules. To conclude, the vapor pressure in an open beaker during evaporation can increase, decrease, or remain constant depending on the condition of the air surrounding the beaker.