Equilibrium in a Closed Container Demonstration

Equilibrium is when the number of molecules leaving a liquid is equal to the number entering. To learn how equilibrium relates to the humidity in the atmosphere and what happens when it rains, please visit AIChE’s Essentials of Chemical Engineering for Operators course, www.aiche.org/ela117. Available at Distillation Technology for Operators at www.aiche.org/ela113.

[@eken81]

Please. I can't wrap my head around a thing having to do with water and a closed plastic container made for tapwater. I fill the container to the brim and put on the top firmly. In less than 24 hours the walls are full of bubbles and if I move the container around they collect at the top. What is the gas? Where is it coming from? Does it have to do with nucleationsites?

[@Izerion]

When you have regular tap water it typically has some amount of air dissolved in it, in the same way that fizzy drinks have carbon dioxide dissolved in them. If you leave the container long enough then yes some of the air that is dissolved can come out of solution and accumulate on the sides to form bubbles. If the container is air-tight and you keep removing the air that collects at the top, eventually there will be fewer and fewer bubbles forming as the air that was originally dissolved in the water will be removed. Hope it helps :)