At standard temperature and pressure (STP), one mole of which gas will occupy a volume of 22.4 liters?

• A. Any ideal gas
• B. Nitrogen (N_2) only
• C. Carbon dioxide (CO_2) only
• D. Oxygen (O_2) only

Answer: (A)

Verified step by step guidance

1. Understand the concept of standard temperature and pressure (STP), which is defined as 0°C (273.15 K) and 1 atm pressure.
2. Recall the ideal gas law equation: \(P \times V = n \times R \times T\), where \(P\) is pressure, \(V\) is volume, \(n\) is number of moles, \(R\) is the ideal gas constant, and \(T\) is temperature in Kelvin.
3. At STP, one mole of an ideal gas occupies a volume of 22.4 liters. This is derived by rearranging the ideal gas law to solve for volume: \(V = \frac{n \times R \times T}{P}\).
4. Recognize that this volume applies to any ideal gas, regardless of its chemical identity, because the ideal gas law assumes gases behave similarly under these conditions.
5. Therefore, the volume of 22.4 liters per mole at STP is not unique to nitrogen, carbon dioxide, or oxygen, but applies to all ideal gases.