3L of a gas at STP weighs 2 g.  What is the molecular mass?

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Using the Ideal Gas Law it is possible to find the number of moles of the gas present in a volume of 3L. This can be used to find the molecular mass.

The gas law gives P*V = n*R*T, where P is the pressure, V is the volume, n is the number of moles, R is the gas constant and T is the temperature.

The STP according to the IUPAC is a temperature of 273.15 K and a pressure of P = 100 kPa. The volume is 3L and R = 8.314 L*kPa/K*mol

This gives n = 100*3/(8.314*273.15)

=> n = 0.132

As 0.132 moles of the gas weighs 2 g, its molar mass is 2/0.132 = 15.15.

The molar mass of the gas is 15.15 g/mol.

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