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kottur
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Homework Statement
A cooling bath is prepared in a laboratory by mixing chunks of solid CO2 with ethanol. CO2(s) sublimes at -78.5°C to CO2(g). Ethanol freezes at -114.5°C and boils at +78.4°C. State the temperature of this cooling bath and describe what will be seen when it is prepared under ordinary laboratory conditions.
The answer is -78.5°C.
Homework Equations
Not sure if there are any equations. Might just be a graph with a critical point or something like that.
The Attempt at a Solution
First of all, the definition of a cooling bath is a bath that maintains a low temperature close to 0°C right? I suppose that the mixture of CO2 and ethanol is with solid CO2 (given) and liquid ethanol, so does the ethanol break up the CO2 or something? Anyway at -78.5°C ethanol is still liquid and CO2 is just in between solid and gaseous state. I don't understand how the answer is -78.5°C and I also would like to understand what happens in the cooling bath like the question states.
Thank you! :)