Torricelli Apparatus (1971)

A vertical glass tube of cross section S = 1.0 cm2

contains unknown amount of hydrogen. The upper end
of the tube is closed. The other end is opened and is
immersed in a pan filled with mercury. The tube and the
pan are placed in a sealed chamber containing air at
temperature T0 = 273 K and pressure P0 = 1.334105 Pa.
Under these conditions the height of mercury column in
the tube above the mercury level in the pan is h0 = 0.70
m.
One of the walls of the chamber is a piston, which
expands the air isothermally to a pressure of P1 =
8.00104 Pa. As a result the height of the mercury
column in the tube decreases to h1 = 0.40 m. Then the
chamber is heated up at a constant volume to some
temperature T2 until the mercury column rises to h2 =
0.50 m. Finally, the air in the chamber is expanded at
constant pressure and the mercury level in the tube
settles at h3 = 0.45 m above the mercury level in the
pan.
Provided that the system is in mechanical and thermal
equilibrium during all the processes calculate the mass
m of the hydrogen, the intermediate temperature T2, and
the pressure P in the final state.
The density of mercury at temperature T0 is 0 =
1.36104 kg/m3, the coefficient of expansion for

mercury = 1.84104 K1, and the gas constant R =

8.314 J/(molK). The thermal expansion of the glass
tube and the variations of the mercury level in the pan
are not considered.
Hint.
If T is the interval of temperature variations of the
system then T = x << 1 In that case you can use the
approximation:

1
1 x
1 x

Solution
We will denote by H (H = const) the height of the tube above the mercury level in the
pan, and the height of the mercury column in the tube by hi. Under conditions of mechanical
equilibrium the hydrogen pressure in the tube is:
(2.1)

PH 2 Pair ghi

where is the density of mercury at temperature ti:

(2.2)

0 1 t

The index i enumerates different stages undergone by the system, 0 is the density of mercury
at t0 = 0 C, or T0 = 273 K, and its coefficient of expansion. The volume of the hydrogen is
given by:
(2.3)

Vi = S(H hi).

Now we can write down the equations of state for hydrogen at points 0, 1, 2, and 3 of
the PV diagram (see Fig. 2):

( P0 0 gh0 ) S ( H h0 )
(2.4)

( P1 0 gh1 ) S ( H h1 )
(2.5)

m
RT0
M
m
RT0
M

m
RT 2
M

( P2 1 gh2 ) S ( H h2 )
(2.6)
P2
where
and:

P1T2
T0

1
,

0
0 1 (T2 T0 )
1 (T2 T0 )

( P2 2 gh3 ) S ( H h3 )
(2.7)

where

2 0 1 (T3 T0 )

P
P0
P2

T3 T2
,

since the process 13 is isochoric,

m
RT3
M

V3
H h3
T2
V2
H h2

for the isobaric process 23.

0
2

P1

1
V0

V1= V2 V3

Fig. 2

After a good deal of algebra the above system of equations can be solved for the
unknown quantities, an exercise, which is left to the reader. The numerical answers, however,
will be given for reference:
H 1.3 m;
m 2.11106 kg;
T2 364 K;
P2 1.067105 Pa;
T3 546 K;
P2 4.8104 Pa.